Unemployment slightly up in southeast Saskatchewan

The latest labour force survey from Statistics Canada was released Friday morning, and Saskatchewan was again among the top provinces regarding unemployment. The rate was unchanged in February compared to January, at 5.4 percent, which was the second lowest in the nation, behind Quebec.  

Here in the southeast, the unemployment rate was up slightly in the Regina-Moose Mountain Economic Region. It was 6.2 per cent, a slight increase from 6 per cent in January. The change came as there were 400 more people employed in the region month-to-month, and there were also 400 more people who were unemployed.  

The job gains for the region all came from outside of Regina, as the provincial capital had a net loss of 300 jobs in February compared to January. In the parts of the region outside of Regina, there were 200 more people working, and 100 fewer people who were unemployed.  

Statistics Canada releases the labour force survey on the first Friday of each month. The survey is compiled monthly, and looks at various aspects of employment data, including how many people are employed, what industries they are employed in, and what trends there are in employment from the local level, all the way to the national level.