Job numbers up in Saskatchewan, unemployment slightly down for July

Saskatchewan saw an uptick in employment last month, according tothe latest Statistics Canada job numbers.

According to the data, employment increased by 1.1 per cent or 6,700 jobs in July the second increase in the last three months. The province added 22,900 jobs compared to July 2023, according to the province.

Meanwhile employment declined in provinces such as Manitoba by 5,400 jobs, and also in Nova Scotia by 4,800.

Saskatchewan's unemployment rate in July was5.4 per cent, a 0.1 per cent dip from June.There are 614,400 people employed in total.

The province has the lowest unemployment rate for the month of July compared to every territory and province in the country besides the Yukon, which has 3 per cent unemployment.

Canada's national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.4 per cent.

The most notable year-to-date changes in job growth were in the agriculture and wholesale retail sectors.

Trade and export developmentMinister Jeremy Harrison didn't get into the specifics ofwhat created the employment jump in agriculture, butinstead referred to what he said is a reflection of agrowing sector.

"Last year we had nearly $20 billion of exports going from the province, which is another record as far as agricultural exports," said Harrison, who is also minister of immigration and career training.

Asked about aSaskatchewan Chamber of Commerce request to lower the minimum working age to 13, Harrison said he had not spoken yet with the chamber on that topic.

"Obviously the chamber are very, very significant partners for the government in many of the initiatives that we've undertaken. We don't always agree with them on every particular one, but we're always willing to listen though," said Harrison.

In an emailed statement, the official opposition critic for jobs and economy Aleana Young said Scott Moe has the second-worst job creation history in the country, a criticismbased off the 45,700 jobs created since Moe was elected in 2018.