Released on May 6, 2011
Saskatchewan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.0 per cent is the lowest in Canada for the second straight month - well below the national average of 7.6 per cent.
Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris said the numbers support the Conference Board of Canada's release earlier this week, which indicate Saskatoon and Regina will have the first and third highest economic growth rates in the country in 2011.
Norris also pointed to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business's April Business Barometer, which shows that small business optimism in Saskatchewan has hit a three-year high. The report notes that 29 per cent of Saskatchewan employers expect to add full-time staff over the next three to four months.
"Employers in our largest cities and across Saskatchewan are expressing confidence in their future and in the economic future of our province," Norris said. "As a result, Saskatchewan is and will continue to be the best place in Canada for skilled workers looking for new opportunities."
April also marks nine consecutive months of year-over-year increases in employment for Aboriginal Youth, which jumped by 1,000, or 11.6 per cent.
Norris noted a strong April for www.saskjobs.ca, where Saskatchewan employers posted 11,410 jobs - an 18 per cent year-over-year increase and the largest monthly total since October of 2008.
"With more than 8,000 jobs available right now, I encourage everyone to visit SaskJobs and see the opportunities our province has to offer," Norris said.
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For more information, contact:
Christopher Jones-Bonk
Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration
Regina
Phone: 306-798-3106
Email: chris.jones-bonk@gov.sk.ca