According to the Saskatchewan Finance in its 2023-2024 budget forecast, real GDP is predicted to slow down significantly from the 4.8% increase in 2021 to 1.3% for 2022 and 1.8% in 2024.

The average year-to-date rate of change in the all-items Consumer Price Index (inflation) in December 2023 over December 2022 was 3.9%. The largest contributors were food (7.4%), shelter (6.3%), recreation, education and reading (8.4%), and Health and personal care (6.0%).

November 2023 year-to-date retail trade is up by 0.7% over the same period in 2022.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were new car dealers (13.4%), Furniture and home furnishings stores (0.1%), Health and personal care stores (8.3%), Sporting goods, hobby, book and music stores (3.9%), General merchandise stores (6.2%), and all other (20.9%).
• During the same time period, used car dealers (-27.0%), Gasoline stations (-7.8%), Electronics and appliance stores (-3.3%), Building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (-3.2%), Clothing and clothing accessories stores (-1.5%), Grocery stores (-7.81%), and Beer, wine and liquor stores (-13.6%) posted declines.

November 2023 year-to-date new motor vehicle (units) sales were up 5.3% from November 2022. New minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light and heavy trucks, vans and buses sales were up 6.5% while new passenger cars sales were down -8.9%.

November 2023 year-to-date restaurant receipts were up 10.8% over the same period in 2022. Within restaurant receipts all sub-categories posted increases: Special food services (21.8%), Drinking places (alcoholic beverages) (4.7%), Full-service restaurants (9.1%), and Limited-service eating places (11.2%).

November 2023 year-to-date manufacturing sales are down by -3.5% over the same period in 2022.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were Food manufacturing sales (2.1%), Machinery manufacturing sales (16.0%), and Fabricated metal product manufacturing sales (0.6%).
• Sub-sectors that posted decreases were limited to all other Manufacturing sales (-9.6%).

November 2023 year-to-date wholesale trade was up 39.8% over the same period in 2022.

• Farm product merchant wholesalers (100.8%), Food, beverage and tobacco merchant wholesalers (23.6%), Machinery, equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers (20.7%), Building material and supplies merchant wholesalers (10.0%), and all other (93.7%) all posted increases while only Agricultural supplies merchant wholesalers (-32.9%), saw a decline. 

Total International merchandise exports were down -6.4% year-to-date December 2023 over December 2022.

• Sub-sectors that posted increases were Farm, fishing and intermediate food products (9.7%), Metal and non-metallic mineral products (23.5%), Basic and industrial chemical, plastic and rubber products (12.4%), Industrial machinery, equipment and parts (3.0%), Motor vehicles and parts (23.9%), Aircraft and other transportation equipment and parts (4.5%), Consumer goods (20.1%), and Special transactions (7.6%).
• Sub-sectors that posted decreases were Energy products (-3.0%), Metal ores and non-metallic minerals (-28.4%), Forestry products and building and packaging materials (-29.1%), and Electronic and electrical equipment and parts (-3.1%).            

Year-to-date January 2024 construction employment was down -2,400 or -5.8% from the same period in 2022.

January 2024, total year-to-date housing starts are up by 100 units or 89.3% over the same period in 2023. Year-to-date increases were observed in all sub-categories: singles (17 units or 43.6%), semi-detached (6 units or 300.0%), row (18 units or 100.0%), and apartment and other types (59 units or 83.1%).

The average year-to-date Housing Price Index Benchmark Composite Price is up from $316,300 in January 2023 to $319,600 in January 2024 or 1.0%.

December 2023 year-to-date building permits are up 11.4% over the same period in 2022. Sub-sectors that posted increases were residential (12.3%), industrial (33.8%), and institutional and governmental (24.1%). During the same time period, only commercial (-1.4%) posted a decline.

January 2024 year-to-date employment in Information, culture and recreation was up 1,700 positions or 8.9% over same period in 2023.

Q4 2023 Provincial population was up 31,369 persons or 2.6% over 2022 Q4 to 1,218,976, an all-time high. In addition, the provincial population grew by 9,869 people over the third quarter of 2023. 

• Driving population growth was post-COVID resurgent international immigration as borders re-opened. Net inter-provincial migration has been negative every quarter since Q2 2013.