The latest Labour Force Survey from Statistics Canada, released on Friday, gave an update on the employment situation in southeast Saskatchewan. The data, which covers the entire Regina-Moose Mountain economic region, along with Weyburn itself, shows some shifts in the local labour market in recent months.
The unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in July. This was up from 4.8 per cent in May, but still down from February, when it was 6.2 per cent. The region as a whole saw its labour force grow to 207,000 in June, with 196,300 people employed.
The driving force behind the regional economy continues to be the services-producing sector, which employs 162,300 people. This is followed by the goods-producing sector, with 34,000 employed. Key industries in the region that contribute to these numbers include health care and social assistance, wholesale and retail trade, and construction.
The increase matches a jump for the provincial unemployment rate, which went from 4.2 per cent in May to 4.9 per cent in June. While Saskatchewan still has the lowest unemployment rate in the nation, the increase in unemployment was the second largest of any province. Saskatchewan was also the only province west of the Maritimes where there was an increase in the unemployment rate.
Nationally, the unemployment rate in June was 6.9 percent. This was down by 0.1 per cent from May. The change came with 83,000 more people working in the nation.