Saskatchewan the only province to see employment growth in March

Saskatchewan was the only province in Canada to see employment increase in March, according to new data from Statistics Canada.

Employment in the province rose by 6,600 or 1 per cent last month, the second increase in four months.

By contrast, Alberta and Ontario saw employment shrink by 0.6 per cent and 0.3 per cent respectively.

Other provinces saw very little change in employment rates from February. 

WATCH| Sask. Premier Scott Moe returns from European trade mission

Premier Scott Moe returns from European trade mission in wake of U.S. tariff announcement

7 hours ago

Duration 2:47

Back from a trade mission in Europe, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe spoke about Donald Trump's tariffs and the upcoming federal election.

The news was welcomed by Jim Reiter, the province's deputy premier and minister of immigration and career training.

"Saskatchewan continues to have one of the strongest labour markets in Canada," Reiter said in a news release. 

Premier Scott Moe shared a post on social media welcoming the employment numbers. 

"In the middle of all the turmoil caused by U.S. and Chinese tariffs, Saskatchewan's strong and steady economy continues to create thousands of new jobs," Moe said. 

Nationally, employment fell by 33,000 or 0.2 per cent as the unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 6.7 per cent. 

Saskatchewan also posted a year-over-year increase in employment: 19,000 or 3.1 per cent, according to Statistics Canada.

Unemployment in Saskatchewan fell by half a percentage point to 4.9 per cent in March, the lowest among all provinces.