July has been a rough month on the jobs front in Saskatchewan, according to Statistics Canada. The province lost 5,700 jobs in total, 5,200 of which were full-time, from the previous month. Manitoba and Saskatchewan have the dubious distinction of shedding jobs, while employment numbers were up in Alberta, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, notes the Stats Canada website.
Over the course of the year, the hardest hit sectors listed in the report were construction, which saw 4,600 fewer jobs, agriculture with 5,000 lost jobs, and the production sector with 9,500 fewer jobs. The good news was in the services-producing sector, transportation and warehousing, and professional, scientific, and technical services, all of which have shown gains.
The Opposition New Democrats have laid the blame for the losses clearly at the doorstep of the Sask Party government. Provincial NDP leader Carla Beck levelled her criticism in a statement released by the Opposition.
“Scott Moe has lost hundreds of millions of dollars from our Crowns, he’s increased taxes and utilities on hard-working families by $1,608 during an affordability crisis, and he has the worst job creation record in the country,” said Beck. “I’m not interested in settling for last place, I want Saskatchewan to lead the nation. With Scott Moe at the wheel, we’re headed in the wrong direction.”
The NDP release also pointed out that the job numbers show the worst month-over-month and year-over-year job creation record in Canada. It also notes that Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate has risen nearly half a point to 5.1%.
“Whether you look at these month-to-month, year-over-year, or since Scott Moe became premier, these numbers are the worst, worst, worst in Canada,” said Opposition Jobs and Economy Critic Aleana Young. “We need more jobs and bigger paycheques, and this tired and out-of-touch Sask Party government isn’t getting the job done for Saskatchewan people.”
Meanwhile, the provincial government is optimistic about the long-term numbers, with Minister of Immigration and Career Training Jeremy Harrison lauding the year-over-year growth achieved over a 28-month consecutive period. In a statement, Harrison noted that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.1 percent is the third lowest among provinces.