(File photo/Tyler Marr paNOW Staff) : Glenn Hicks

By Glenn Hicks

jobless stats

Provincial jobless down year-over-year but local stats remain high

Mar 8, 2019 | 2:01 PM

The Saskatchewan government is hailing the latest job stats that show a year-over-year net increase of 9,000 jobs. However, the opposition New Democrats are focusing on the month-over-month stats which show declines in employment.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February is 5.8 per cent. That’s in line with the national rate which remained at 5.8 per cent.

The government said the private sector drove the job growth since February 2018 with 14,100 positions. The Ministry of Immigration and Career Training said 5,800 full-time jobs had been created and 3,200 part-time.

In a media release the ministry said major year-over-year gains were reported for health care and social assistance up 4,200 jobs; finance, insurance, real estate and leasing up 3,600 jobs; agriculture up 3,600 jobs.

BODY-WORM CAMERAS

RCMP begins nationwide rollout of body cameras for frontline officers

5m ago

Inflation

Rent inflation to slow in the next few years, Desjardins predicts

5h ago

North West U15 AA Sharks

AA Sharks continue success with tournament win in Regina

6h ago

However, the Saskatchewan NDP pointed to the month-on-month figures showing unemployment up and the number of people employed in the province down since January. It said Sask. Party policy choices had hurt job growth with the construction industry alone losing 1,900 jobs month over month. The percentage of jobless last month was 5.4 per cent, with 32,600 people out of work. In February that number rose to 5.7 per cent with 34,300 unemployed.

In this region of the province – classified as Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan – the unemployment rate was at 7.9 per cent for February. That’s worse than the 6.7 per cent this time last year.

Stats Canada says there were 8,200 people unemployed in our region last month. In February 2018 there were 6,700 people looking for work.

On the national front the TD Bank’s chief economist believes the latest employment report will help put a floor under the economy.

The labour market generated a second straight month of strong job gains in February with the creation of 55,900 new positions, all of them full-time.

The Stats Canada report and January’s even stronger numbers represent the strongest two-month stretch of job creation since the spring of 2012.

—

panews@jpbg.ca