The number of Saskatchewan people out of work continues to climb, according to Statistics Canada figures released today.
The August labour report shows that Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate has climbed to 7.4% from 7.1% one month ago and 6.9% a year ago. The number of unemployed people in Saskatchewan now sits at 46,100, having climbed by 3,500 since August 2017 and by 16,300 over the past decade of Sask. Party government.
“Losing a job is hard on people and hard on families,” said NDP Jobs Critic Vicki Mowat. “The grim numbers we’re seeing should be a wake-up call to everyone in Saskatchewan that this government’s current approach of cutting public services, hiking the PST, and slashing $2.9 million from employment assistance programs simply hasn’t worked.”
Construction workers have been particularly hard hit, today’s release shows 2,900 fewer people are working in construction than were a year ago. The manufacturing sector also took a hit, as 1,900 jobs were lost year over year.
Other numbers released recently are further signs of the financial pain that Saskatchewan people are feeling. Urban housing starts in Saskatchewan have plummeted by nearly 50% over the past year, according to Government of Saskatchewan figures, and fully half of Saskatchewan workers report feeling “overwhelmed” by the level of debt they’re carrying, according to a survey by the Canadian Payroll Association released last week.
“It’s becoming increasingly clear that Premier Moe isn’t working for Saskatchewan workers. He took charge of an economic policy that was heading in the wrong direction, and stepped on the gas,” Mowat said. “It’s time to admit the strategy has failed and start investing in Saskatchewan people and Saskatchewan jobs.”