Lifting pandemic restrictions has buoyed employment in the Moose Jaw/Swift Current region.
Five hundred more people were employed in September than the previous month, according to the monthly Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey.
The region has 51,600 employed, but there are still 1,000 fewer jobs than in February before the pandemic closed so many businesses.
This region had 3,400 unemployed at the end of September, compared with 2,600 in February,
There were 53,300 employees available for work — an increase of 200 since before the pandemic.
The unemployment rate was 6.2 per cent compared with 4.7 per cent in February.
The Saskatchewan unemployment rate of 7.9 per cent, the second lowest in Canada, compared with 5.4 per cent a year ago.
Moose Jaw/Swift Current has the second-lowest unemployment rate of five regions at 6.2 per cent. Yorkton/Melville with 5.3 per cent had the lowest unemployment rate.
Highest unemployment rate is the Saskatoon/Biggar region at 9.6 per cent followed by eight per cent in the Prince Albert Northern region and Regina/Moose Mountain at 7.4 per cent.
During September, Saskatchewan gained 5,100 full time jobs and 3,500 part time
Since September 2019, the province has lost 11,500 full-time positions and 6,600 part time.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
