The Saskatchewan Party government is lauding the province's low unemployment rates and job growth, but the Opposition NDP complains job growth has stagnated under Scott Moe's six years as premier.Statistics Canada released labour force statistics for the month of February that showed Saskatchewan has 18,700 more full-time employees than in February 2023. Part-time job losses lessened overall growth to 15,200, leaving a 2.6% increase.Saskatchewan's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is third-lowest in Canada at 5% and less than the national average of 5.8%."These latest numbers highlight how our commitment to growing the workforce is getting results," Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said."Through the Labour Market Strategy released earlier this week, our government will continue investing in programs and services to enhance recruitment, training and retention efforts in the province, ensuring we have the labour force we need to support our economy."The province set record highs with 595,200 people employed in Saskatchewan as of last month in a labour force of 627,100. Compared to February 2023, female employment increased by 3,500 (1.3%), and male employment increased by 11,700 (3.8%).However, the opposition NDP says such growth has come too little too late.“The numbers don’t lie. Since Scott Moe came to office exactly six years ago, the Sask. Party has been worse at creating jobs than every other provincial government in Canada,” said Official Opposition Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young. “Saskatchewan shouldn’t be last.”Premier Scott Moe came to office in February 2018. From then until last month, Saskatchewan increased total employment by only 6.7%.Over the same time period, Prince Edward Island’s job creation rate was more than three times as big (20.6%) and Nova Scotia's was more than twice as big (15.1%) as Saskatchewan’s. Alberta (11.6%), Manitoba (8.9%), BC (10.0%), Ontario (10.6%), Quebec (7.1%), and New Brunswick (8.7%) also enjoyed more job growth.The rate of job creation for women during Moe’s time at the helm is 6.4%, also the worst in Canada, compared to 10.1% in Manitoba, 13.5% in Alberta and national leader Prince Edward Island at 16.9%.The latest employment figures show in Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan total employment decreased by 1,900 jobs last month (-1.9%), decreased by 2,400 jobs year-over-year (-2.4%), and decreased by 3,000 jobs since Scott Moe became premier in February 2018 (-3%). Despite a bump in employment last month, the Swift Current-Moose Jaw economic area saw a decrease of 3,200 jobs year-over-year (-5.9%), and a decrease of 600 jobs since Scott Moe became premier in February 2018 (-1.2%).“Saskatchewan has the resources, the work ethic, all the ingredients to boom. This province should be moving forward,” said Young. “Sadly, for far too many folks, it feels like we’re spinning our tires.”Even so, the province could point to other benchmarks of growth in the past twelve months. Off-reserve indigenous employment was up 700, an increase of 1.1% and Indigenous youth employment was up 1,800, an increase of 17.3% from a year ago, marking the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year increases for both.Compared to last February, Saskatoon's employment grew 11,400 (6.1%), and Regina's employment grew 8,500 (6.0%).Major year-over-year gains were reported for professional, scientific and technical services, up 8,000 (26.4%); business, building and other support services, up 4,100 (36.6%); and wholesale and retail trade, up 3,400 (3.5%).The province saw $12.4 billion in private sector capital investment last year, up 24.6%, with an expected increase of 14.4% to $14.2 billion this year. Saskatchewan is expected to lead provinces in percentage growth in this category by the time the fiscal year ends, while placing second in investment dollar growth.Saskatchewan saw both its working age population reach a new record of 940,600, as did its off-reserve indigenous population aged 15 and over at 112,500.A recently-released study by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy found Alberta and Saskatchewan have languished under the energy-unfriendly Trudeau Liberal government. The study found that since 2015 Saskatchewan's job growth trailed the growth of its working-age population, but that this gap was smaller than in Alberta. The trend was opposite in Quebec.
