The off-reserve Aboriginal unemployment numbers in Saskatchewan appear to be on the decline.
According to the latest numbers from the government, Aboriginal unemployment saw a nearly 3 per cent drop from the same month last year.
In March 2017, the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people sat at 16.7 per cent, while this past month, it showed a rate of 14.2 per cent.
Breaking that down further, both Metis and First Nation unemployment rates saw declines as well from the same month last year.
Metis rates were at 11.7 per cent, down from 13.3 per cent, while First Nations rates were at 18.2 per cent, down as well from 21.1 per cent in March 2017.
Despite the decline, the off-reserve Aboriginal unemployment rate in Saskatchewan is nearly three times the provincial average. The overall unemployment rate in the province for March was 5.8 per cent, down from 6.1 per cent a year ago.
Overall, there were 562,700 people employed in Saskatchewan in March, 1,500 more than in March 2017. Female employment hit a record high for the month of March at 264,400. Among the total workforce, 47,800 were Aboriginal.
(PHOTO: Workers at a mine. Photo courtesy of Sask. Mining Association,Twitter.)