Sask. unemployment rate highest in almost 17 years

More and more people are hunting for a job in Saskatchewan, and the unemployment rate hasn’t been this high in almost 17 years.

According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate in Canada stayed steady at 7.1 per cent in April, but Saskatchewan’s rose to 6.3 per cent, from 6.2 in March. The rate has been steadily rising in Saskatchewan since November, and hasn’t been this high since May 1999 when it was at 7.1 per cent.

From March to April this year 1,600 fewer people are working in Saskatchewan, according to seasonally adjusted numbers. In the past year, 9,200 fewer people are working.

The change in unemployment isn’t quite as stark. From March to April only 400 more people were listed as unemployed, while 1,190 more were listed as unemployment since April 2015. Employment and unemployment numbers can vary due to workforce participation and other factors.