Article content

Although the province is facing a $1.2 billion deficit, numbers released Friday provide some sense of optimism to the Saskatchewan government that the economy could be rebounding.

In February, 8,000 jobs were created in the province, up 1.4 per cent month over month — the highest growth rate in Canada. Year over year, 8,600 new jobs were created in Saskatchewan. The month-over-month growth in Canada was 0.1 per cent in February.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or 'A very positive direction': Job numbers up, unemployment rates down in Saskatchewan Back to video

Economy Minister Jeremy Harrison said the job numbers data was “extraordinarily positive.” He acknowledged the growth is just a snapshot of one month, but said “it’s not out of step” with what the government is hearing anecdotally and also from data officials are seeing in areas such as retail sales, wholesale trade and weekly earnings.

“The trend is definitely in a very positive direction,” Harrison said.

The unemployment rate in Saskatchewan dropped to six per cent last month, while the national rate fell to 6.6 per cent, its lowest level in more than two years. According to the provincial government, 563,600 people were working in Saskatchewan, a higher number than anytime in the province’s history.