Saskatchewan had the lowest job vacancy rate in the country in November. Quebec had the highest.
This is one of a basket of measures we use to assess the condition of the labour market in the country. When employers post job openings, there are a couple of factors that will determine how quickly the vacancy will be filled. One is the size of the labour pool – this can sometimes be measured by the unemployment rate – and another is whether pay levels are competitive.
There were just over 8,000 unfilled jobs on the books in Saskatchewan in November. That is about 1.7 per cent of the total job pool. That vacancy rate is the lowest in the country.
Then, when you look at wage rates, we saw a bit of softening in November. Normally, we’d think that is a problem, but in the pandemic environment it’s the exact opposite. Lockdowns hit lower-paying jobs hardest, so a falling rate means more lower paid positions remain filled…further evidence that Saskatchewan’s lockdown is milder than anywhere else in the rest of the country.
Martin Charlton Communications is the largest public relations company in Saskatchewan and one of the largest in western Canada.