Aboriginal job seekers in Sask. feel unemployment crunch

A rise in the unemployment rate in Saskatchewan is hitting some aboriginal job seekers especially hard.

Chris Bailey of the Regina Work Preparation Centre says his organization seeks to address barriers aboriginal people may face when looking for work.

"Housing can be a huge issue," Bailey said. "It's very hard to get an appointment for a job if you don't have a telephone and it's hard to have a telephone if you don't have a house."

He also said that the centre offers programs to improve skills when it comes to interviewing and resumé writing.

According to the Statistics Canada, the province's unemployment rate went up to 5.5 per cent from 4.1 per cent last year.

Similar to other resource-dependent provinces, the fall in oil prices could contribute to the declining employment rates.

However, Statistics Canada's monthly labour force survey states that Saskatchewan still has the lowest unemployment rate in the country.