Saskatchewan leads Canada in growth as wholesale trade, retail sales, non-residential construction, and average weekly earnings increase while unemployment drops.
Wholesale trade in the province jumped 22.3 per cent in November 2011 from the same period last year. This is more than triple the 6.5 per cent rise nationally and the highest increase among the provinces. It is also a record for the month of November.
Retail trade was up by 11.3 per cent in November 2011 from the same period a year ago, the highest increase in Canada.
In a building permits report released on January 9th, non-residential construction was up 118.0 per cent in November 2011 over November 2010, the largest rise in Canada.
According to a report from Statistics Canada released on January 26th, Saskatchewan's average weekly earnings were $904.42, the second highest in Canada.
"Non-residential construction, wholesale trade and retail sales had the highest increases among the provinces as consumers ride a wave of confidence as a result of an economy that is growing, setting the stage for a very good year in 2012,"said Enterprise Minister Jeremy Harrison.
The number of people employed in Saskatchewan in December 2011 was 523,500, a record for that month. When expressed as a percentage of the total labour force population, Saskatchewan has the second fewest number of people receiving EI benefits in Canada at 1.2 per cent.
All of the major economic forecasters are projecting that Saskatchewan will be either first or second in economic growth in Canada this year.
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