Total average year-to-date employment in Saskatchewan was up 1.9% or 10,736 positions in November 2019 over the same period in 2018.   

Year-to-date employment in November 2019 was up over the same period in 2018 in Agriculture (2,591), Manufacturing (2,564), Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing (1,209), Professional, scientific and technical services (1,709), Business, building and other support services (609), Educational services (1,809), Health care and social assistance (2,273), Information, culture and recreation (1,373), Accommodation and food services (3,136), Other services (2,491), and Public administration (482).

Year-to-date employment in November 2019 was down in Resource Extraction (-809), Utilities (-636), Wholesale and Retail Trade (-3700), and Transportation and warehousing (-2009).

The average year-to-date unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% in November 2018, to 5.5% in November 2019. Year-to-date, the average number of unemployed is down from 37,773 in November 2018 to 33,445 in November 2019 with the majority of these being absorbed into the employed labour force.

September 2019 year-to-date retail trade is down by -0.7% over the same period in 2018. Sub sectors that posted increases were: Used car dealers (27.8%), Gasoline stations (3.5%), Furniture and home furnishings stores (1.0%), Health and personal care stores (2.7%), Grocery stores (2.3%), General merchandise stores (0.4%), and All other (0.9%). During the same time period, New car dealers (-5.8%), Electronics and appliance stores (-29.4%), Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-1.8%), Clothing and clothing accessories stores (-4.9%), Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (-1.7%), and Beer, wine and liquor stores (-2.0%) posted declines.

September 2019 year-to-date new motor vehicle sales were down -2.1% from September year-to-date 2018. Both New minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses sale and New passenger cars sales were down -0.1% and -13.4%, respectively.

September 2019 year-to-date wholesale trade was up 5.3% over the same period in 2018. Farm product merchant wholesalers (3.0%), Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers (0.5%), and All other (471.0%) posted increases, while Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers (-11.9%) and Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (-6.9%) saw declines.

September 2019 year-to-date restaurant receipts were up 1.5% over the same period in 2018. Within restaurant receipts, Full-service restaurants (2.3%) and Limited-service eating places (2.8%) increased. At the same time, declines were noted in Special food services (-0.1%), and Drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (-14.5%) saw declines.

Total International merchandise exports were down -4.2% year-to-date October 2019 over October 2018.

Sub sectors that posted increases were: Metal ores and non-metallic minerals (8.3%), Basic and industrial chemical, plastic and rubber products (15.8%), Industrial machinery, equipment and parts (5.1%), Motor vehicles and parts (10.4%), Aircraft and other transportation equipment and parts (287.2%), Consumer goods (20.9%), and Special transactions (2.3%).

Sub sectors that posted decreases were: Farm, fishing and intermediate food products (-3.9%), Energy products (-12.2%), Metal and non-metallic mineral products (-16.0%), Forestry products and building and packaging materials (-21.8%), and Electronic and electrical equipment and parts (-24.3%).

Construction employment declined throughout 2018 and into the first 11 months of 2019, with weak housing and residential building permit activity. Year-to-date November construction employment was down by 2,300 positions or 4.6% from the same period in 2018.

November 2019, total year-to-date housing starts are down by -1,008 units or -35.5%. Year-to-date declines occurred within all categories of starts: singles (-239 units or -21.2%), semi-detached (-23 units or -15.4%), row (-90 units or -28.0%), and apartment and other types (-656 units or -52.8%).

October 2019 year-to-date building permits are down -7.2% over the same period in 2018. The only sub sector to post an increase was again commercial (11.4%). During the same time period, residential (-15.8%), industrial (-12.4%), and institutional and governmental (-23.2%) posted declines.

Year-to-date employment in November 2019 was up 6.8% over the same period in 2018 in Information, culture and recreation.

2019 Q3 Provincial population was up 1.0% over 2018 Q3 to 1,174,462 on the strength of international in-migration. With increasing employment, this can be expected to continue throughout the rest of 2019.

September 2019 year-to-date manufacturing sales are down by -8.4% over the same period in 2018.

Sub sectors that posted increases were: Food manufacturing sales (0.9%), and Fabricated metal product manufacturing sales (28.5%).

Sub sectors that posted decreases were: Machinery manufacturing sales (-9.9%) and All other Manufacturing sales (-14.5%).