Saskatchewan added 3,200 jobs in February, unemployment unchanged

Saskatchewan is taking care of business.

The province added 3,200 full-time jobs in February, according to Statistics Canada data released Friday. Meanwhile, the provincial unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.3 per cent. In January, the provincial economy added 4,500 jobs.

According to the federal data service, 482,200 people are working full time in Saskatchewan.

Between February of 2022 and last month, Saskatchewan has added a total of 6,800 full-time jobs, the data shows.

The Canadian economy added a total of 22,000 jobs in February, gains which Statistics Canada attributed mainly to growth in the private sector. The national unemployment rate held steady at five per cent, which Statistics Canada said is close to the record low of 4.9 per cent set in June and July of 2022.

The highest unemployment rate among provinces was found in Newfoundland and Labrador (9.9 per cent), while Quebec posted the lowest rate at 4.1 per cent.

Since February of last year, average hourly wages have jumped by 5.4 per cent, Statistics Canada said, growing by $1.69 to $33.16 per hour.

But while wages are increasing, many Canadians are also struggling with inflation, and the rising prices of essential goods like gas and groceries. The price of food has risen so sharply that several grocery CEOs were grilled by politicians in Ottawa this week, and pressed to explain why grocery prices in January were up 11.4 per cent compared to a year ago.

Canada’s national inflation rate dropped in January from 8.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent, according to the Bank of Canada. The central bank decided to hold its key interest rate steady at 4.5 per cent this week, following eight consecutive hikes.

Economic growth in the fourth quarter fell flat, coming in lower than the bank’s projections.