“The Sask. Party can play with the numbers all they want but this is not a stats class. There were 5,400 more real Saskatchewan people without a job in July than just a month earlier and there are still twice as many people looking for work than when the Sask. Party first formed government,” said NDP Jobs Critic Trent Wotherspoon. “The fact is, the Sask. Party’s mismanagement, scandal and waste have cost Saskatchewan families more than the billions of dollars that have been added to the debt; they have cost people their jobs.”
The numbers released by Statistics Canada today show that 40,600 people in Saskatchewan are looking for work. Despite the Sask. Party’s claims to be focused on supporting key industries in Saskatchewan, 4,500 jobs were lost in the last year in the industries that include agriculture, mining, and oil and gas. Saskatoon’s unemployment rate increased 2.2 percentage points since last year which is the highest increase of any of the major Canadian cities tracked by Statistics Canada.
First Nations unemployment rose last month and, at more than 20 per cent, remains unacceptably high and unemployment for those living on-reserve is even worse.
“From rural Saskatchewan to our largest city, when it comes to protecting and creating jobs, The Sask. Party isn’t working for Saskatchewan people anymore,” said Wotherspoon.
Other sectors with noteworthy job losses compared to last year include:
3,200 jobs lost in Education
2,100 jobs lost in Accommodation and Food Services
1,700 jobs lost in Health Care and Social Assistance