If you want to see evidence of the shift in economic activity from central Canada to the West, take a look at a new report from StatsCanada on the labor service industry. These are the people who run things such as recruitment agencies or temp services.
Nationally, sales revenues generated by these companies have flattened out in the last 24 months as national population growth declines and employers create fewer spots that are going unfilled. But not in Saskatchewan.
Although revenues nationally fell roughly two-percent last year this is still big business with a $24 billion top line across Canada. Quebec sustained the bulk of the losses in the nation, down 13-percent. In Saskatchewan, on the other hand, these firms saw revenues grow by nearly 21-percent.
Part of the Saskatchewan story can be found in employment growth. Labor force expansion has not been enough to keep up with a relatively high volume of job vacancies. Frustrated employers are more likely to seek professional recruitment support to fill those slots plus we’ve been adding more higher level executive positions as our economy matures.
— For more than 50 years, Paul Martin has specialized in coverage of the business and political scenes. His career has spanned radio, television and print and electronic media.
