Job numbers released by Statistics Canada for January 2022 show Saskatchewan added 24,600 jobs, an increase of 4.6 per cent compared to January 2021. Of the new jobs, 21,100 were full-time positions. Month-to-month, seasonally adjusted employment increased by 3,900, an increase of 0.7 per cent. The province says in a news release that the number was the highest among provinces in terms of percentage change. Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison says “Saskatchewan’s economy continues to show resilience with more job gains and a lower unemployment rate.” Year-over-year, construction jobs were up 6,500 and wholesale and retail trade saw an increase of 8,000 jobs.

The national unemployment rate jumped half a percent in January to 6.5 per cent due to a loss of 200 thousand jobs. Most of the jobs lost were in the country’s two biggest provinces in Ontario and Quebec. Restrictions introduced to help slow the spread of the Omicron wave in those provinces were considered the largest factor for the job losses. Youth ages 15 to 24 were the most impacted by employment losses in January. Jobs in accommodations and food service were impacted the most.