Newfoundland and Labrador Labour Market Bulletin - April 2010
Labour Force Trends - The number employed in the province is up 2.6% from April 2009 to April 2010.
- The number of employed in the province grew from 213,800 to 219,300 during this period.
The provincial unemployment rate decreased by 0.1% from 15.1% in April 2009 to 15% in April 2010. The national unemployment rate presently stands at 8.1%.
| Seasonally Adjusted Data | April- 2010 |
March-2010 | April-2009 | Monthly Variation Number % |
Yearly Variation Number % |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population 15 + ('000) | 431.5 | 431.2 | 428.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 3.4 | 0.8 |
| Labour force ('000) | 258.1 | 258.7 | 251.9 | -0.6 | -0.2 | 6.2 | 2.5 |
| Employment ('000) | 219.3 | 218.7 | 213.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 2.6 |
| Full-time ('000) | 187.3 | 187.0 | 184.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 1.6 |
| Part-time ('000) | 32.0 | 31.7 | 29.5 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 8.5 |
| Unemployment ('000) | 38.8 | 40.0 | 38.1 | -1.2 | -3.0 | 0.7 | 1.8 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.8 | 60.0 | 58.8 | -0.2 | 1.0 | ||
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 15.0 | 15.1 | 15.8 | -0.5 | -0.1 | ||
| Employment Rate (%) | 50.8 | 50.7 | 49.9 | 0.1 | 0.9 | ||
Note(s): Total may not add due to rounding |
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Source: Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey - HRSDC Table CD1T47sa |
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- In April 2010, the employment rate was up 0.1% compared to the previous month, making up about two-thirds of the employment that had been lost from February (219,600) to March (218,700).
- After going up by 0.8% in March (to 15.5%), the unemployment rate decreased by 0.5% in April to 15%, 0.1% lower than the 15.1% unemployment rate in April 2009.
Employment by Industry – Employment in Health and Social Assistance increases by 3,900 from April 2009 to April 2010, while Manufacturing drops by 4,100
- The Goods-Producing Sector was down 2.9% from April 2009 to April 2010. Manufacturing showed the greatest decrease (down 30.1% or 4,100). Agriculture showed the greatest increase percentage-wise with 62% (or 500 more employed). Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil and Gas increased by almost 14% (or about 1,900 more).
- The Services-Producing Sector was up 4.1% over the same period, with Accommodation & Food Services posting the largest increase (over 32%). Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing also posted a significant increase of 25.4%. Health and Social Assistance increased by 3,900 (or 11.7%). The biggest decreases were in Information, Culture and Recreation (30%) and Management, Administrative and Other Support (20.3%) and the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (18.5%).
Seasonally Adjusted Data ('000) |
April- 2010 |
March- 2010 |
April- 2009 |
Monthly Variation Number % |
Yearly Variation Number % |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 219.3 | 218.7 | 213.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 2.6 |
| Goods-producing sector | 44.1 | 44.4 | 45.4 | -0.3 | -0.7 | -1.3 | -2.9 |
| Agriculture | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 44.4 | 0.5 | 62.5 |
| Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil and Gas | 15.9 | 15.8 | 14.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 13.6 |
| Utilities | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -0.1 | -4.8 |
| Construction | 15.4 | 14.8 | 15.0 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 0.4 | 2.7 |
| Manufacturing | 9.5 | 10.9 | 13.6 | -1.4 | -12.8 | -4.1 | -30.1 |
| Services-producing sector | 175.3 | 174.3 | 168.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 6.9 | 4.1 |
| Trade | 37.4 | 36.3 | 35.3 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 5.9 |
| Transportation & Warehousing | 12.1 | 12.7 | 12.0 | -0.6 | -4.7 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
| Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing | 7.9 | 7.9 | 6.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 25.4 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | 6.6 | 7.1 | 8.1 | -0.5 | -7.0 | -1.5 | -18.5 |
| Management, Administrative and Other Support |
5.5 | 5.8 | 6.9 | -0.3 | -5.2 | -1.4 | -20.3 |
| Educational Services | 17.8 | 17.6 | 16.1 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 10.6 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 37.1 | 36.3 | 33.2 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 11.7 |
| Information, Culture and Recreation | 7.0 | 7.5 | 10.0 | -0.5 | -6.7 | -3.0 | -30.0 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 15.9 | 14.5 | 12.0 | 1.4 | 9.7 | 3.9 | 32.5 |
| Other services | 10.0 | 10.7 | 10.9 | -0.7 | -6.5 | -0.9 | -8.3 |
| Public Administration | 17.9 | 17.8 | 17.6 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.7 |
Note: : '--' indicates number suppressed due to high sample variance. |
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Economic Regions – West Coast-Northern Peninsula-Labrador leads the province in employment growth
- The South Coast-Burin Peninsula employment rate was up 2.1% in April 2010 compared to April 2009. This is an improvement from March 2010 when the employment rate was 0.2% lower than in March 2009. The unemployment rate is 6.1% lower in April 2010 than in April 2009.
- The situation in West Coast–Northern Peninsula-Labrador continues to show improvement year over year. During the period April 2009 to April 2010, the employment rate was up 2.2% in that area, while the unemployment rate fell by 3.2%.
- For the same period, Notre Dame-Central Bonavista Bay shows an increase in the unemployment rate of 2.3%, smaller than the 3.2% increase observed from March 2009 to March 2010. The employment rate however declined by 2.1%, a more significant drop than the 1.4% observed between March 2009 and March 2010. This area still records the highest unemployment rate in the Province at 27.4%.
- In April 2010, the Avalon Peninsula had the lowest rate of unemployment at 12.8%. The unemployment rate for St. John’s (8.3%) is slightly higher than the national rate (8.1%).
Three Month Moving Averages |
April |
April |
Variation |
April |
April |
Variation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Newfoundland and Labrador |
St. John's, Nfld |
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Population 15 + (‘000) |
431.3 |
428.0 |
3.3 |
160.0 |
156.6 |
3.4 |
Labour Force (‘000) |
251.5 |
246.0 |
5.5 |
108.8 |
106.4 |
2.4 |
Employment (‘000) |
207.6 |
202.8 |
4.8 |
99.8 |
97.5 |
2.3 |
Full-Time (‘000) |
173.6 |
170.1 |
3.5 |
84.5 |
82.2 |
2.3 |
Part-Time (‘000) |
34.0 |
32.7 |
1.3 |
15.3 |
15.3 |
0.0 |
Unemployment (‘000) |
43.9 |
43.2 |
0.7 |
9.0 |
8.9 |
0.1 |
Participation Rate (%) |
58.3 |
57.5 |
0.8 |
68.0 |
67.9 |
0.1 |
Unemployment Rate (%) |
17.5 |
17.6 |
-0.1 |
8.3 |
8.4 |
-0.1 |
Employment Rate (%) |
48.1 |
47.4 |
0.7 |
62.4 |
62.3 |
0.1 |
1010 - Avalon Peninsula |
1020 - South Coast - Burin Peninsula |
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Population 15 + (‘000) |
217.9 |
214.4 |
3.5 |
31.6 |
32.1 |
-0.5 |
Labour Force (‘000) |
139.8 |
133.2 |
6.6 |
15.8 |
16.3 |
-0.5 |
Employment (‘000) |
121.9 |
117.6 |
4.3 |
12.4 |
11.9 |
0.5 |
Full-Time (‘000) |
102.8 |
99.1 |
3.7 |
10.0 |
10.1 |
-0.1 |
Part-Time (‘000) |
19.1 |
18.5 |
0.6 |
2.3 |
1.7 |
0.6 |
Unemployment (‘000) |
17.9 |
15.6 |
2.3 |
3.4 |
4.5 |
-1.1 |
Participation Rate (%) |
64.2 |
62.1 |
2.1 |
50.0 |
50.8 |
-0.8 |
Unemployment Rate (%) |
12.8 |
11.7 |
1.1 |
21.5 |
27.6 |
-6.1 |
Employment Rate (%) |
55.9 |
54.9 |
1.0 |
39.2 |
37.1 |
2.1 |
|
1030 - West Coast - Northern Peninsula - Labrador |
1040 - Notre Dame - Central Bonavista Bay |
||||
Population 15 + (‘000) |
88.3 |
88.0 |
0.3 |
93.4 |
93.5 |
-0.1 |
Labour Force (‘000) |
48.9 |
48.2 |
0.7 |
47.1 |
48.3 |
-1.2 |
Employment (‘000) |
39.2 |
37.1 |
2.1 |
34.2 |
36.2 |
-2.0 |
Full-Time (‘000) |
32.9 |
31.5 |
1.4 |
27.9 |
29.4 |
-1.5 |
Part-Time (‘000) |
6.3 |
5.6 |
0.7 |
6.3 |
6.8 |
-0.5 |
Unemployment (‘000) |
9.7 |
11.1 |
-1.4 |
12.9 |
12.1 |
0.8 |
Participation Rate (%) |
55.4 |
54.8 |
0.6 |
50.4 |
51.7 |
-1.3 |
Unemployment Rate (%) |
19.8 |
23.0 |
-3.2 |
27.4 |
25.1 |
2.3 |
Employment Rate (%) |
44.4 |
42.2 |
2.2 |
36.6 |
38.7 |
-2.1 |
Note: : '--' indicates number suppressed due to high sample variance. |
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EVENTS
Aquaculture
- Cooke Aquaculture has downsized its cod operation in the Coast of Bays, closing its cod nursery in Belleoram. The decision to downsize came as a result of the higher than expected cost of cod production. It is not anticipated that any jobs will be lost as a result of the decision.
- Construction of Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon hatchery in St. Alban’s has begun and should be ready for production by September. The farm will have approximately nine employees at full production, and is expected to lead to additional jobs on cages and in processing in the future.
Construction
- In late March, the provincial government announced that six ferries will be built in the province. The announcement means an estimated $30-million worth of work for 100 people over two years to build vessels for ferry services on Newfoundland's south coast and in southern Labrador.
- On April 19, the federal government announced that C&W Industrial Fabrication of Bay Bulls landed a $2.5-million contract to build 15 environmental response barges for the Coast Guard. The company currently employs about 50 staff and expects to hire another 5-10 employees for a year to complete this project.
- Vale Inco and the Resource Development Council from the Long Harbour project have set up a $0.5 million diversity fund to train more women and Aboriginals for employment opportunities within the construction industry. United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (Local 740) will award scholarships of $10 thousand to 45 students for training in pipe-related trades. The training will begin this fall at the U.A. Training Centre in Mount Pearl.
- The $82 million Central Waste Management Regional site is expected to be fully operational by January 2011. To date, 30 acres of land has been cleared, the administration building and maintenance garage have been built and designs are in place for the next phase of construction near Norris Arm. The project will offer employment opportunities in the region during the construction phase. Once the site is fully operational, it is estimated that it will create 70 part-time and full-time jobs. Central Waste Management is waiting on a decision as to whether or not it should take waste from the west coast. Should the west coast be included in this development, job opportunities may increase to 100-125 positions. In addition, seven to eight million dollars are expected to be awarded in contracts. All phases of the project should be in operation by late 2013.
Fishery
- On April 30, the provincial Fish Price Setting Panel decided to hold firm on the $1.35/pound price for crab. It is now up to the processors to decide whether they want to open their plants or keep them closed. FFAW President Earle McCurdy expected the season to start the weekend of May 1st.
Health Care
- In the recent provincial budget, a new primary health care centre for the 3,200 residents who live in the area north of Marystown was announced. The centre which will cost approximately $500,000 will be used to house offices for doctors, a public health nurse, a nurse practitioner and potentially blood services as well. An existing building will be used and it is anticipated that only some minor renovations are required; therefore the facility should be operational in a very short time.
Manufacturing
- On April 29, 2010, Terra Nova Shoes of Harbour Grace announced the layoff of 59 employees due to low market demand for work boots and a drop in business from the Department of National Defence. The parent company Kodiak Group Holdings is committed to the remaining 105 workers at the Terra Nova Shoes site.
Mining
- Benton Resources and Royal Roads Corporation have begun drilling for copper and nickel off the Burgeo Highway. The drilling has created work for about 20 people including cutters, drillers, geologists and the geophysical crew. This year, the companies are investing $1.17 million in exploration of their properties between the Burgeo Highway and Buchans.
Oil and Gas
- Canadian Imperial Venture Corporation (CIVC) has announced it will soon re-start its oil exploration program in Bay St. George. All technical and scientific work has been completed for the new well. Equipment should be in Bay St. George sometime in April. The company hopes to start drilling at Shoal Point in June. Deer Lake Oil and Gas completed its first exploration well in the Deer Lake basin. The company is waiting for evaluation results on the drilling. The company will drill a second well later in the year.
Telecommunications
- The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Atlantic Communications Council (CEPACC), representing 3,000 Bell Aliant workers in Atlantic Canada have reached a tentative agreement. The union is recommending that members accept the deal. A ratification vote will begin on May 3.
Tourism
- Destination St. John’s announced record sales for the first quarter in 2010. Room night sales were up by 9.6%, from 105,364 to 115,568 compared to the same period last year. The average occupancy rate increased to 54.07%, up 6.6% over last year. Average room rates also increased by 3% (i.e. $3.05) compared to the same period last year.
Transportation
- On April 1, the Woodward Group of Cos. announced acquisitions of the Imperial Oil fuel storage facility in Lewisporte and the aviation refueling operations in St. John’s, Deer Lake and Gander airports. Lewisporte will now supply jet fuel to Gander, Deer Lake, the Canadian Arctic, the Labrador Coast and the north shore of Quebec. There is also a five year contract in place to supply fuel to Nunavut. The Woodward Group of Cos. employs approximately 1,000 people during peek season.
- The Stephenville Airport Corporation announced in April it was close to making a deal with KAZ Aviation regarding the operation of the Stephenville airport. A letter of intent has been delivered and the Corporation is waiting to hear from the company on the issues addressed.
Prepared by: Labour Market Information and Planning, Policy & Partnerships units of Service Canada