“We saw record job growth in numbers, consistently low unemployment rates and gains in key sectors,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Social Services Terry Jenson told journalists on Friday afternoon at the SaskJobs office in Saskatoon. (CJME file photo)

By Libby Gray - 650 CKOM

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Despite a loss of 4,000 jobs to end 2025, the Government of Saskatchewan is looking at the big picture and seeing positive progress over the past year’s employment numbers in the province.

About 15,200 jobs were created in Saskatchewan in 2025 — 2.5 per cent more than in 2024 — with the province having the lowest annual unemployment rate among provinces at 5.2 per cent, according to Saskatchewan’s Minister of Social Services, Terry Jenson.

“We saw record job growth in numbers, consistently low unemployment rates and gains in key sectors,” Jenson told journalists on Friday afternoon at the SaskJobs office in Saskatoon.

The Saskatchewan NDP raised some concerns about month-to-month numbers, where Saskatchewan reportedly lost 4,000 jobs from November to December 2025 and youth unemployment rose to 15 per cent.

According to a news release from the official Opposition, the provincial population declined for the first time in two decades last quarter, aside from the pandemic. The release also noted that the number of unemployed people in the province increased last month by almost 6,000, to 43,700 people who are still seeking work.

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Jenson said the annual numbers tell a more fulsome picture of where the province is situated economically.

“Every month you’re going to sometimes you’re going to gain jobs, sometimes you’re going to lose jobs,” Jenson said. “The important thing here is to keep things in context.”

He said some of the jobs added over the past year in Saskatchewan were highly requested — in areas of construction, human services and health care — and will result in better outcomes for those sectors.

As for remaining health sector vacancies, Jenson said the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and Ministry of Health continues to work hard to fill positions in those areas.

Jenson couldn’t offer any specific factors contributing to the 15-per-cent youth unemployment rate reported in this month’s employment numbers, though he suggested there could be fluctuation in the age population due to students in the province on temporary visa or permit basis.

For those who might not have employment, Jenson pointed to the SaskJobs offices located throughout the province, where potential employees can be linked to employers in the province to fill available positions.

“We’re below the national unemployment average, which is good news. And when you take a look at not just the month of December, but you take a look at the full year … and the fact that we added the number of jobs that we did, and we led the country most months in having the lowest unemployment rate.

“That’s the sign of a very strong economy,” Jenson said.