The provincial labour supply is expected to decline over the next 10 to 15 years, largely due to an aging labour force. This will provide more job opportunities for people entering the labour force, including Aboriginal people.

Labour supply: The number of employed and unemployed people in the labour force

The Saskatchewan Labour Market Trends Report indicates that the Registered Indian population will represent 9% of the labour force by 2008 and 14% by 2018.

Increased education and training opportunities for Aboriginal people will further advance their participation in the labour market.

In 1996, 47% of the Aboriginal population aged 25 to 64 were employed, compared to 81% of the non-Aboriginal population.

The unemployment rate among Aboriginal people of the same age group, at 24%, was nearly five times higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population, at 5%.

Saskatchewan Labour Force Statistics, Ages 25-64, 1996
	Aboriginal	Non-Aboriginal	Total
Labour Force	25,305	364,785	390,090
Participation Rate	62%	85%	83%
Number of Employed	19,335	348,065	367,395
Employment Rate	47%	81%	78%
Number of Unemployed	5,975	16,720	22,690
Unemployment Rate	24%	5%	6%
Source: 1996 Census, Statistics Canada

 

Many Aboriginal people work in occupations with lower wages and/or work seasonally and their earnings reflect this.

In 1995, the average earnings for people aged 15 and over in Saskatchewan were:

• Aboriginal population $14,900
• Non-Aboriginal population $22,600

Level of education has a large influence on earnings. In 1995, these were the average earnings for Aboriginal people with:

• less than a grade 12 education $11,300
• less than a university degree $16,100
• a university degree $27,700

Return to the Table of Contents