Sask. added 12,300 new jobs in April, as labour force reaches all-time high

The Government of Saskatchewan is celebrating strong employment numbers from April.

The province added 12,300 new jobs in last month on a year-over-year basis, while the provincial labour force of those 15 and over reached an all-time high of 633,000.

According to the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training, Saskatoon’s employment was up by 8,200 jobs when compared to April of 2023, while Regina’s employment was up by 6,900.

According to numbers released on Friday by Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate jumped slightly in April, rising to 5.7 per cent from 5.4 per cent in March.

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“The province’s unemployment rate is the fourth lowest among provinces, remaining consistently below the national average of 6.1 per cent,” the ministry said in a statement.

Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan’s minister of immigration and career training, chalked up the growth to “record investments” in the province.

“Through targeted investments and proactive support for employers, we are driving economic growth and equipping our workforce with the skills needed to fill job vacancies,” Harrison said in a statement.

“This growth is guided by our province’s Investment Attraction and Labour Market Strategies, which is our roadmap to building a highly skilled sustainable labour force for the future, while creating more opportunities and a better quality of life for all Saskatchewan people.”

At a national level, Canada added 90,000 total jobs last month, well ahead of expectations and marking the largest monthly gain since January of 2023.

The national unemployment rate held steady at 6.1 per cent.

–with files from The Canadian Press.