Province shifts strategy on job training, declines to reveal number of users

On the heels of the province ending the year with one of the country’s highest unemployment rates — 6.2 per cent — Saskatchewan’s largest job-finding website, the government-run saskjobs.ca, is partnering with a national employment bank.

According to a government press release, the partnership with the National Job Bank will help employers and applicants advertise, recruit and find jobs.

“This partnership with the National Job Bank will provide more features and benefits,” said Steven Bonk, the province’s economy minister. “(It) is part of the government of Saskatchewan’s commitment to help attract and retain skilled workers in the province.”

Programs meant to help people train for new jobs and find work around the province saw significant budget cuts, or were totally eliminated, in the Saskatchewan Party’s 2017-18 budget.

Since the 2015-16 budget, overall labour market development funding has dropped nine per cent.

These development programs are, according to the province, accessed by about 20,000 people each year, but the latest budget cut funding by $2.4 million.

The province did not provide information on whether fewer people were accessing the programs as a result of the budget cut.

According to the province, that drop in funding was linked with transfers, including $355,000 being transferred to the Environment Ministry to train and maintain forest fire suppression, and $745,000 used for contracted services was taken out of the budget entirely.

The province transferred $1 million to increase funding for the Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant program, while $306,000 in funding was eliminated with the province’s Student Summer Works program.

A statement from the province said, “The federal government administers a related and much broader summer employment program called the Canada Summer Jobs program and has expanded the program significantly. Applications to the federal program for summer 2018 are being accepted until Feb. 2, 2018.”

The province said $1 million was cut from the Employability Assistance for Persons with Disabilities program due to “historic” underuse. It serves, according to the government, 5,000 clients each year; but the province did not provide information on whether or not that number has dropped as a result of the budget reduction.

The province said decreased enrolments and demand for apprenticeship training led to $2.1 million being cut from the Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission’s budget. Remaining in the commission’s coffers is $20.1 million to help fund 6,000 training seats around the province over the 2017-18 budget year.

According to the organization’s 2016-17 annual report, the number of registered apprentices dropped.

“While the number of apprentices in Saskatchewan grew by an extraordinary amount over the last decade, this growth has now levelled off, with 8,180 registered apprentices this year,” it said.