Saskatchewan has More Job Openings

One of the metrics observers use to determine the health of the labor market is the vacancy rate. It complements data derived from the Labor Force Survey which defines the unemployment rate and from information on wage levels.

And, it seems, Saskatchewan is showing quite well on this indicator.

Vacancies in the third quarter of this year exceeded 11,000. That is just slightly below Q2 but a few thousand higher than we were seeing early in the year.

Compared to other parts of the country where vacancies are down, this says that employers here are still creating jobs and the likelihood of finding work is growing.

And the opportunity for those seeking employment is fairly wide spread. Regina and the southeast vacancy rate is the highest it’s been in more than a year. The Yorkton-Melville region turned out a similar story. Q3 was the second highest in a year in Prince Albert and the North. The only places that were seeing a declining vacancy rate were Saskatoon-Biggar corridor and the southwest including Moose Jaw and Swift Current.