Paul Martin visits Moose Jaw to try and help local businesses spread the good word and bring skilled labour to the Friendly City.

 

Business commentator Paul Martin was in Moose Jaw speaking at a special Chamber of Commerce dinner Thursday night. Saskatchewan's labour shortage and attracting and retaining skilled employees were the main topics of discussion.

After crunching the numbers, Martin showed a significant gap in Saskatchewan's population, which happens to have a significant impact on the labour market. "Statistically speaking we have the youngest population in Canada, Interestingly we also have the oldest population in Canada. The problem is in between from 19 to 65 we are significantly below the national average and when you look at the out migration numbers the most likely person to leave Saskatchewan is between 19 and 24 and 59 per cent have been historically going to Alberta."

Because of the age gap we have a small tax base and heavy demands from kids and seniors. Big demands and no capacity. Economists call that the dependency ratio. Martin says Saskatchewan boasts the highest dependency ratio in Canada.