Labour Market Monitor - Cape Breton
February 2011
This is an overview of the Cape Breton Region which includes Cape Breton, Inverness, Richmond and Victoria Counties. The Labour Market Monitor is a monthly report providing information on labour market developments for specific regions within the province.
Labour Force Trends
The labour force in Cape Breton increased markedly (2,400) from February 2010 to February 2011. Over the same period, employment increased by just under a thousand, reflecting growth in full time work of 2,100 that was offset by a decrease in part time work of 1,200. With labour force growth greater than the rise in employment, the number of unemployed increased on a year over year basis and the unemployment rate increased to 17.3 percent from 15.3 percent in the same month last year.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Cape Breton | February | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 210 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 58.8 | 61.2 |
| Employed (000) | 49.7 | 50.6 |
| Full Time | 38.7 | 40.8 |
| Part Time | 11.0 | 9.8 |
| Unemployed (000) | 9.0 | 10.6 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 51.7 | 54.3 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 15.3 | 17.3 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Business, Building & Other Support Services
Signature Styles Canada Corp. of New Waterford said that 27 employees at their call centre have accepted voluntary layoffs for a five week period. The temporary layoffs were attributed to sluggish U.S. sales and changing consumer preferences from catalogue to web based shopping. Seven employees began the layoff on January 14 and another 20 started on January 28. The New Waterford operation employs 230. Cape Breton Post, February 5 2011
A CTV news report stated that 175 layoffs are coming at the Hewlett Packard customer contact centre in Sydney. The report said that the cuts will begin in March. The company cited fewer corporate contracts as a reason for the layoffs. Cape Breton Post, February 19, 2011
Health Care
The province of Nova Scotia has hired four new nurse practitioners, including one in Cape Breton, to provide better care that meets the needs of nursing home residents. The new nurse practitioners will provide pro-active alternatives to emergency and acute care for nursing home residents. The district health authorities are expected to have the nurse practitioners in place by the spring. Cape Breton Post, February 18, 2011
Construction
Atlantic Baptist Senior Citizens Homes Inc. is proposing to build a seniors apartment complex in North Sydney. The projected construction costs for the project is between $2.5 and $3 million. If approved, construction would not begin until the fall of 2011. The company operates 14 senior citizens homes in Atlantic Canada, including Central Court in North Sydney. Cape Breton Post, February 5, 2011
Construction of a new My Cape Breton Home for Seniors facility on Campbell St. in North Sydney is expected to be completed by the spring. J.A. Borden Enterprises is building the facility as well as another in New Waterford. The twin facilities will replace the existing operation on Floral Heights. Between the two facilities there will be 35 full-time and part-time staff. Cape Breton Post, February 28, 2011
The federal government announced that it will provide $701,702 for the improvement of Mabou's main street, and $754,548 for a façade project along the Cabot Trail. Inverness Oran, February 23, 2011
Education
A program that is a partnership between the Unama'ki Economic Benefits Office and local industry partners is training fifteen aboriginal students in all aspects of the civil construction industry. The construction technical support program is a customized 10 month training program that began June 15 at the NSCC Marconi campus in Sydney. Cape Breton Post, February 16, 2011
Retail Trade
Pennington's is closing its Port Hawkesbury location in late February. The store, which is located in the Port Hawkesbury mall, announced that February 25 would be its last day of operation. The store employed four people on a full-time basis and two people on a part-time basis. Port Hawkesbury Reporter, February 16, 2011
Tourism
Tourism statistics released by the province showed an 11 percent increase in cruise ship passenger traffic in 2010. There were 69 cruise ship visits to the port of Sydney last year, and eights eight cruise ships were forced to cancel their scheduled calls to Sydney due to weather conditions. The yearly statistics also revealed a one percent decline in the number of room nights sold in Cape Breton during 2010, although the room occupancy rate was unchanged from the previous year's figure. Cape Breton Post, February 7, 2011
Note: In preparing this document, Service Canada has taken care to provide clients with labour market information from reliable sources that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Service Canada.For more information contact: ns-info-ne@servicecanada.gc.ca or visit our website at www.labourmarketinformation.ca