Statistics Canada released the latest job numbers Friday morning, and while across Canada there was a total of 213,000 jobs lost, resulting in the unemployment rate jumping up to 9.4 percent, Saskatchewan was a completely different story. The unemployment rate dropped from 8 to 7.2 percent in January, with Saskatchewan enjoying the lowest unemployment rate in the country.

The numbers locally were positive as well. While the Regina-Moose Mountain Economic Region, which includes Weyburn, saw the unemployment rate go up, this was primarily due to Regina. With Regina taken out of the numbers, the unemployment rate for southeast Saskatchewan held steady at 6.8 percent in January.

Twila Walkeden is the executive director of Weyburn Regional Economic Development. She pointed out that there is optimism in the area.

“I just think that the optimistic attitude, whether it’s with the vaccine distribution, it’s just starting to take hold and everybody’s starting to look forward to some great things ahead,” Walkeden explained.

Part of the ability for businesses in the region to be able to retain staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as the effects of the most recent public health orders start to become evident, has been the adaptability of the businesses.

“(There’s) lots of ways that each individual business can change how they’re doing their business, how they can increase their reach for their customers, how they can reduce expenditures,” Walkeden added.

With the numbers showing positivity in the Weyburn area, Walkeden stresses there is more yet to come.

“I do think that we’re going to see a rebound over the summer, and you know, a lot of these things are just allowing our businesses to hold on until those rebounds take place.”