Statistics Canada says employment fell 0.3 per cent in December. That was the first decline since April. As more provinces adopted their public health measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, total hours worked declined for the first time since April, falling 0.3 per cent in December. The unemployment rate was 8.6 per cent in December. That was unchanged from the month before. Employment declined in four provinces including Saskatchewan. Here, it fell 1.2 per cent. The unemployment rate in the province increased 0.9 per cent to 7.8 per cent.
Saskatoon’s unemployment rate rose from 7.8 to 8.1 per cent. Regina went from 5.4 in November to 6.3 last month.