The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Saskatchewan job numbers jumped last month, leading to the highest April on record for employment in the province. Statistics Canada figures released this week show 483,000 people were working in Saskatchewan in April (seasonally unadjusted figures). That beats the old record set in April 2000 by 5,000 and is an increase of 5,800 from last April's numbers. April's numbers represent the third straight month of job increases for the province. On a seasonally adjusted basis, Saskatchewan had the highest percentage increase in job growth among all provinces when comparing April to March. "These are great job numbers. Saskatchewan continues to track well on the jobs front in 2004, following the record year for employment we set last year," Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline said. "Through diversification, we continue to weather economic challenges and witness steady growth in our key sectors." Almost all sectors showed increases last month, and all of the year-over-year increase was in full-time jobs. Cline noted that many of the province's economic indicators are sending positive signals about growth ahead. Manufacturing shipments, potash production, natural gas production and drilling, retail and department store sales, building permit values and international exports are all up. Most economic forecasters have predicted Saskatchewan to be near the top in economic growth in 2004. "This is Opportunities Week in Saskatchewan, a time when we celebrate the successes and innovation of our businesses and communities," Cline said. "It's those businesses and those communities that are responsible for the solid job growth we see this year, and that are positioning Saskatchewan for the new jobs and new opportunities ahead." Saskatchewan had the third lowest unemployment rate in Canada in April at 5.9 per cent (seasonally unadjusted), down 0.2 percentage points from April 2003 and well below the national rate of 7.6 per cent. Regina had the third lowest unemployment rate among major Canadian cities at 5.3 per cent.
