Prince Albert has added about 1,300 jobs since last year, the latest data from Statistics Canada shows.
According to the monthly Statistics Canada labour estimates, Prince Albert had about 21,700 people working in June 2019, as compared to 20,400 people in June of last year.
Prince Albert’s labour force also grew by 1,400, as more people began looking for work.
As a result, the unemployment rate remained virtually unchanged, falling from 9.3 to 9.2 per cent. The employment rate increased from 59.6 to 63.5 per cent. The participation rate, which captures the percentage of people working or looking for work, hit 69.9 per cent, up from 65.8 per cent.
Those numbers are unadjusted for seasonal factors.
The employment picture also looked rosy for the rest of Saskatchewan. Along with Alberta, the two provinces were the only ones which saw employment gains Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador saw a drop in jobs, while the other provinces remained relatively unchanged.
Saskatchewan’s employment rose by 2,500 people, with most of the growth coming in the accommodation and food services sector. The unemployment rate remained little changed at 5.1 per cent. Since last year, provincial employment is up by 9,300 jobs, a 1.6 per cent increase.
In the Prince Albert and northern region, as defined by Statistics Canada, the smallest local region where seasonally-adjusted numbers are available, population fell year-over-year by about 1,500 people.
The labour force fell b about the same amount. Still, as the number of people listed as unemployed fell further than those listed as employed, the unemployment rate also improved. The participation rate fell by about 0.3 percentage points, while the employment rate rose.
Nationally, employment held steady. The unemployment rate saw a slight increase as the number of people looking for work increased.
Year-over-year, 421,000 more Canadians are working, a 2.23 per cent increase.
More men aged 55 or older were working in June, while fewer were employed in the 25-54 age range.
Employment rates among women were little changed.
