Saskatchewan's economy continues to keep apace of expectations for 2011 with year-over-year numbers for retail sales in March leading the nation, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada.
In March 2011 compared to March 2010, retail sales were up by 5.0 per cent (seasonally-adjusted) - good enough to rank Saskatchewan first in percentage growth among the provinces.
On a seasonally-unadjusted basis, for the first three months of 2011 Saskatchewan's retail sales were up by 6.1 per cent and ranked first in percentage growth among the provinces. Retail sales in Saskatchewan increased by 6.7 per cent in March 2011 compared to March 2010 (seasonally-unadjusted), which was second in percentage change among the provinces.
"This growth and these numbers bear out what economic forecasters are predicting for Saskatchewan this year," Enterprise Saskatchewan Minister Jeremy Harrison said. "There is a significant increase in consumer confidence taking place in Saskatchewan. Consequently, we are seeing people and businesses clearly expressing that confidence and helping to propel the province forward."
