The number of people employed in Saskatchewan went down in December, according to the latest numbers released from Statistics Canada. The Labour Force Survey, which came out Friday morning, shows there were 6,700 fewer people employed, bringing the province’s unemployment rate from 6.9 to 7.8 percent.  

The loss of jobs compared to November was a trend seen across the whole country, as there were 63,000 fewer people working in December. This was the first monthly decline seen in the country since April and moved the national unemployment rate up to 8.6 percent from 8.5. 

Teenagers and young adults made up the bulk of the job losses in December across the province, with 3,300 of those between the ages of 15 and 24 reporting they were no longer employed. For those over the age of 25, there were 2,400 fewer women working in Saskatchewan, with 2,100 leaving the labour force entirely. While 900 men over the age of 25 entered the labour force in December, there were 1,000 fewer working across the province.  

Regionally, the Yorkton-Melville economic region had the lowest unemployment rate in the province at 5.5 percent. Next was Regina-Moose Mountain at 5.9 percent. Prince Albert and Northern Saskatchewan had an unemployment rate of 6.3 percent, while Swift-Current Moose Jaw was 6.9. The Saskatoon-Biggar economic region had an unemployment rate of 7.0 percent.