May's labour force statistics were released by Stats Canada last week, once again the southwest region of the province is one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada.

Saskatchewan's southwest part of the province including the City of Moose Jaw and Swift Current has been recognized as one of three regions in Canada tied for the second lowest unemployment rate region in Canada for the seventh consecutive month.

The unemployment rate for the region jumped by 0.7% in a year-over-year comparison to 4.5%.

Included in the statistics released for the month of April are the population numbers for the area, along with the labour force and employment numbers.

The region saw a decrease in all three categories with the population declining by approximately 500 residents since this time last year, the labour force dropping about 1,900 and the employment in the area fell by about 1,800 as well.

Saskatchewan had the fourth lowest unemployment rate among the provinces at 6.7% an increase of .1% from May of 2016.

Canada's unemployment rate continued to drop reaching 6.8 %, a decrease of 0.6% from last year.