Labour Force

The labour force demographic in Saskatchewan is as unique as its landscape. Aging population of current employees, emerging technologies, a surge in employment-aged Aboriginal people and increased immigration from outside countries will all be factors that will shape the workplace of tomorrow.

Economies most effective at attracting and retaining talent are going to be comparatively prosperous in the years ahead.  Regina is emerging as a preferable place to live, work, and raise a family and has a greater portion of school age youth than most competitors.  This is apparent through a comparison of Saskatchewan’s population by five year age group (graph here) in which the younger “bump” equals or exceeds the Baby Boomer “bump.”  We are working hard to attract and retain talent and become a community of choice.

Sectoral Employment

When looking for labour, it is often important to look at the industries in which labour currently exists in a given jurisdiction.  Regina’s labour force in 2007 was made up of approximately 16% goods industries and 84% service industries.  The table below shows the further breakdowns into sector.

 
Average Earnings

It is also informative to see where Saskatchewan falls with regards to the average wages of its labour force in comparison with other jurisdictions.  The graph below demonstrates that Regina falls in the middle of the pack for wages.  We believe this to be a boon for employers who can find a lower cost-of-labour in Saskatchewan and also a benefit to employees who enjoy a higher than average wage and a lower than average cost of living.

Unionization

One of the often asked questions is what Saskatchewan’s unionization rates in comparison to other provinces is.  The short answer again is that the province is somewhere in the middle fifty percent of provinces.  Saskatchewan doesn’t have the highest unionization rates nor does it have the lowest.

Also, new changes to labour legislation which bring many factors in the unionization and labour process to levels and qualifications in the middle-of-the-road when compared to other provinces may impact the unionization rate in Saskatchewan.  It is unclear as of yet if or which direction the rate may move.

Education

Regina has a well-educated workforce, as does Saskatchewan as a province.  According to the 2006 Census released by Statistics Canada, 58.6% of Reginans aged 25 to 64 have a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree.  Of the entire province of Saskatchewan aged 25 to 64, 53.9% have a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree.