After hovering at five per cent for five straight months, the unemployment rate rose to 5.2 per cent in May. The first increase since last August comes as economists have been watching for any sign of a softening labour market. Statistics Canada reports the economy lost a modest 17,000 jobs and noted that job growth has moderated in recent months, with monthly job gains averaging 33,000 between February and April.

In Saskatchewan, the unemployment rate dropped slightly from 4.8 percent in April, to 4.4 percent in May. Regina dipped point 3 percent from 4.9 to 4.6 per cent.
Saskatoon’s unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 4.6 percent in April, to 4.8 per cent in May.

The Saskatchewan NDP say today’s job numbers from Statistics Canada indicates that 3,400 full time jobs were lost in this province in May. However, the overall number of jobs increased by 200. Leader of the Official Opposition, Carla Beck, says, “This isn’t just a bad month. During his time in office, Scott Moe has the worst job creation record in the country.” Beck says the government needs to work towards diversifying the economy to attract new investment. (with files from CKRM)