March 2021 year-to-date retail trade was up 11.0% over the same period in 2020.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were:  New car dealers (13.9%), Used car dealers (34.1%), Furniture and home furnishings stores (24.1%), Electronics and appliance stores (25.4%), Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (45.7%), Clothing and clothing accessories stores (2.0%), Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (27.3%), Grocery stores (2.5%), Beer, wine and liquor stores (18.9%), General merchandise stores (14.8%), and All other (16.8%).
• Sub-sectors that posted declines were: Gasoline stations (-2.9%) and Health and personal care stores (-1.4%).

March 2021 year-to-date new motor vehicle (units) sales were up 17.4% from March 2020. New minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses sales were up 18.6%, and new passenger cars sales were also up 6.7%.

March 2021 year-to-date restaurant receipts were down -0.4% over the same period in 2020. Within restaurant receipts, only Limited-service eating places (9.9%) increased. At the same time, declines were noted in Special food services (-21.6%), Drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (-21.9%), and Full-service restaurants (-8.8%).

March 2021 year-to-date manufacturing sales was up 19.6% over the same period in 2020.  Sub-sectors that posted increases were: Food manufacturing sales (25.1%), Chemical manufacturing sales (17.4%), Machinery manufacturing sales (8.1%), and All other Manufacturing sales (25.1%), Sub-sectors that posted decreases were limited to Fabricated metal product manufacturing sales (-7.7%).

March 2021 year-to-date wholesale trade was up 13.5% over the same period in 2020.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were: Farm product merchant wholesalers (26.7%), Agricultural supplies merchant wholesalers (1.7%), Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (46.3%), Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers (0.1%), and All other (12.3%).
• Sub-sectors that posted decreases were: Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers (-24.2%). 

Total International merchandise exports were up 14.9% year-to-date April 2021 over April 2020.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were: Farm, fishing and intermediate food products (23.1%), Energy products (20.1%), Metal and non-metallic mineral products (192.0%), Forestry products and building and packaging materials (70.5%), Industrial machinery, equipment and parts (8.1%), Electronic and electrical equipment and parts (3.3%), Motor vehicles and parts (40.0%), Consumer goods (36.7%).
• Sub-sectors that posted decreases were: Metal ores and non-metallic minerals (-16.6%), Basic and industrial chemical, plastic and rubber products (-38.7%), Aircraft and other transportation equipment and parts (-24.6%), and Special transactions (-1.6%).   

With robust residential and public sector construction data, year-to-date May 2021 construction was up 3,260 positions or 8.8% from the same period in 2020.

Driven by low interest rates and record savings levels, total year-to-date housing starts in May 2021 were up by 962 units or 117.7% over the same period in 2020.

• Year-to-date increases were observed in all categories: singles (270 units or 82.3%), semi-detached (29 units or 65.9%), row (97 units or 103.2%), and apartment and other types (566 units or 161.3%).

April 2021 year-to-date building permits were up 15.1% over the same period in 2020.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were: Residential (54.5%) and Institutional and governmental (85.9%).
• Sub-sectors that posted declines were: Industrial (-63.3%), and Commercial (-14.6%).

May 2021 year-to-date employment in Information, culture and recreation was down -4,160 positions or -22.6% over the same period in 2020.

March 2021 year-to-date average weekly earnings in Information and cultural industries was up 7.1%.

Q2 2021 Provincial population was up 0.02% or 288 persons over 2020 Q2 to 1,179,906. Contributing to slow population growth was the pandemic related drop in international in-migration. Net inter-provincial migration has been negative every quarter since Q2 2013.

In 3 rapid rate cuts on March 4th, March 13th, and March 27th 2020, the Bank of Canada cut its benchmark interest rate to 0.25%.

The Bank of Canada will likely keep its benchmark rate near zero in the medium term to spur post pandemic economic activity. In its March 2021 rate announcement, the Bank of Canada reiterated that it has no plans to raise its rate for another two years.

According to the Conference Board of Canada in its March 2021 forecast, the Saskatchewan outlook for 2021 is for 4.9% growth in real GDP and after a -5.1% decline in 2020 and a 4.7% increase in employment in 2021 after a -4.3% decline in 2020. Meeting forecast targets is predicated on vaccine rollouts outpacing the spread of virus variants.