Job numbers released by Statistics Canada for May show Saskatchewan added 19,800 new jobs compared to the same month a year a go. That’s an increase of 3.5 per cent.

The province says all of the growth was in full-time jobs.

The unemployment rate fell to 4.8 per cent in May 2022. It’s down from 6.1 a year ago and 5.5 per cent a month prior. It’s also below the national average of 5.1 per cent.

A number of all-time employment records were hit in May with 587,000 people employed, over 272,000 females employed in Saskatchewan along 54,100 off-reserve Indigenous residents employed with a full-time job.

The provincial government says a recent report from the Conference Board of Canada projects Saskatchewan’s economy will lead the country with real GDP growth of 7.9 per cent in 2022, well above the national average of four per cent.