The provincial government and the NDP have sharply different views of Aboriginal employment in January.
The government says off-reserve Aboriginal employment grew by 6,200 jobs from January 2010 — an 18% increase, and the eighth consecutive month of employment increases.
It also says 1,400 Aboriginal youth found work, a 17.3% increase from January of last year, and the third consecutive month of increases in that category.
But NDP employment critic Cam Broten says First Nations unemployment has grown by 7.5% and Metis unemployment has increased 3% since the Saskatchewan Party took office.
Broten notes that the First Nations unemployment rate is 21.4% and the Metis unemployment rate is 12.2%.
He also says year-over-year job losses in the province were especially bad in the province’s north and the Prince Albert area, where 4,300 jobs were lost.