January Sees Over 16,000 New Jobs
According to recently released statistics from Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan has made a strong start in 2023 with an increase of 4,500 jobs from the previous month. This marks a 2.9% rise when compared to January 2022, with a total of 16,400 new jobs created.
Minister of Immigration and Career Training, Jeremy Harrison, stated that “Saskatchewan’s economy is full of opportunities for both newcomers and residents alike and our government looks forward to continued growth that benefits everyone in the coming year.”
The province’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in January 2023 was 4.3%, a decrease from 5.6% in January 2022 and 4.4% compared to December 2022. This rate is the third lowest among the provinces and below the national average of 5.0%.
In January 2023, Saskatchewan hit record highs in various areas:
- The provincial labor force reached 606,300
- Total provincial employment reached 578,600
- Total full-time employment reached 466,600
Full-time employment increased by 1% (4,700 jobs), while part-time employment rose by 11.5% (11,500 jobs). The youth population also increased by 2.4% (3,200 people) and employment among youth rose by 1.9% (1,400 jobs) compared to January 2022.
Indigenous off-reserve employment continued its upward trend, with a 4.4% increase (2,500 jobs) for 26 consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Indigenous youth employment also saw a rise of 25.3% (2,000 jobs) for two consecutive months of year-over-year increases.
The sectors that saw the largest year-over-year gains were health care and social assistance (5.6% increase or 4,900 jobs), professional, scientific and technical services (15.1% increase or 3,800 jobs), and educational services (6.1% increase or 3,000 jobs).