Canada-wide, employment numbers are the best they've been in 41 years, according to Statistics Canada; meanwhile, things are clicking along well in southwest Saskatchewan too.

Stuart Wilson is an economics professor at the University of Regina, and over email he said while southwestern Saskatchewan is not an indicator of the national or provincial job market, it is an important market.

The Swift Current - Moose Jaw region has an unemployment rate of 3.5 per cent. Canada's is 5.5 per cent and Saskatchewan's is 5.6 per cent.

Wilson said the southwest is a "relatively stable region with respect to its population and employment," helped by a "relatively mature" and "well-educated population."

The 2016 median age for the southwest was 43.6 years, compared to 37.8 provincially.

A mobile workforce also means while employment might fluctuate, that doesn't greatly influence the area's unemployment rate.

"It is a regional market affected by agriculture, natural resources, and supporting industries, and has a relatively mature and well-educated population," said Wilson. "It is a relatively stable region with respect to its population and employment, and large swings in employment do not translate into large swings in the unemployment rate."

The growing Canadian economy, Wilson said, is helped by population growth (both more births than deaths and more immigrants than emigrants in Canada's case).

"There is a natural feedback loop - the economic outlook, business climate, and social and government support are relatively strong in Canada, and so the population continues to grow and demands goods and services so that businesses develop and employment continues to grow," said Wilson.

It's like a more-favourable version of a Catch 22 - where more people live in Canada, increasing demand for goods and services, which creates more jobs and more money into the private and public sectors, improving quality of life, and serving as a pull factor for more people to live in Canada.

It's hard to tell what kind of impact on the economy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made, but Wilson said investment in infrastructure and tax changes to help support families have been positive factors. He also said businesses "would prefer more help with lower business taxes." Wilson also mentioned uncertainty surrounding a proposed carbon tax, but said the federal Liberals have had "some successes in helping to create jobs."

And while employment numbers may fluctuate in the short term, especially with changes in commodity prices such as oil, Wilson said over the long term the Canadian numbers should continue to grow as long as the population continues to increase.