MORE THAN 20,000 NEW JOBS IN SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan Leads the Country in Job Growth as Employment Hits an All-Time High

Employment in Saskatchewan rose by 20,100 between August 2011 and August 2012 according to new figures released today by Statistics Canada. That's an increase of 3.8 per cent - the highest percentage increase in employment among the provinces and almost four times the national rate of 1.0 per cent.

In August 2012, there were 549,100 people employed in the province - an all-time high for employment in Saskatchewan, beating the previous record set this past June.

"Strong job numbers show the solid performance of our economy and reflect the job opportunities available in Saskatchewan today," Economy Minister Bill Boyd said. "Today's record numbers are exceptional and reinforce the confidence that investors, businesses and working people have in our economy.

"Most importantly, this means there are plenty of career opportunities for Saskatchewan people and those who want to move to Saskatchewan."

Saskatchewan's unemployment rate fell by 0.6 per cent in August to 4.4 per cent - tied with Alberta for the lowest unemployment rate in the nation and well below the national average of 7.3 per cent.

Other highlights include:

• Full-time employment increased by 14,100 (3.1 per cent) and part-time increased by 6,100 (8.2 per cent).
• Regina's employment was up by 1,300 (1.0 per cent) for 28 months of year-over-year increases, and Saskatoon's employment was up by 9,000 (6.1 per cent) for 10 months of year-over-year increases.
• In August, Regina's unemployment rate was 4.2 per cent, and Saskatoon's unemployment rate was 5.3 per cent. Saskatoon's unemployment rate was the seventh lowest and Regina's unemployment rate was the second lowest among all cities.
• The sector with the largest employment growth was construction, up 7,100 in the past year.

"Job growth just doesn't happen, it is a product of increased activity in key areas of our economy," Boyd said. "Our challenge and our opportunity will be to make sure that growth will continue into the long term and we will do that through good management and a new growth plan you will hear about in the coming months."

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For more information, contact:

Deb Young
Economy
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4765
Email: deb.young@enterprisesask.ca