Cape Breton Labour Market Monitor - March 2010
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 dropped by 1,700 from March 2009 to March 2010, while employment declined by 900. The drop in employment was primarily in part time work. With the labour force falling faster than employment, the number of unemployed fell on a year over year basis, and the unemployment rate decreased by a full percentage point over the period.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at:www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Cape Breton | March | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 210 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Labour Force (000) | 61.1 | 59.4 |
| Employed (000) | 50.7 | 49.8 |
| Full Time | 38.7 | 39.6 |
| Part Time | 12 | 10.3 |
| Unemployed (000) | 10.5 | 9.6 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 53 | 51.9 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 17.2 | 16.2 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil & Gas
Strathlorne Forest Nursery of Inverness will see its workforce cut from 25 to 21 this year. Inverness Oran, March 24, 2010
Construction
The $11.1 million contract for construction of the Northside Civic Centre has been awarded to Dora Construction Limited of Halifax. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in mid-April of this year and take approximately one year to complete. Cape Breton Post, March 6, 2010
Two Cape Breton companies have been awarded contracts totaling $7.7 million for work on the Sydney Tar Ponds cleanup project. McNally Construction of Port Hawkesbury was awarded a $3.8 million contract to remove contaminated materials from the lower reaches of Coke Oven Brook, with work running from April to October 2010. ALL-TECH of Sydney was awarded a two year, $3.9 million contract to continue monitoring and evaluating air quality for the tar ponds agency. Cape Breton Post, March 9, 2010
Manufacturing:
The former Keata pharmaceutical plant in North Sydney has been bought by Stirling Products Limited of Australia. Stirling plans to use the plant for pharmaceuticals research and development. The company currently has two people on staff at the plant, and could hire up to 60 as soon as they start getting into production. Cape Breton Post, March 4, 2010
Retail Trade:
Coles bookstore announced that they will close their location at the Sydney Shopping Centre in April 2010. Eight employees will be affected by the closure. Cape Breton Post, March 19, 2010
Education
The province of Nova Scotia announced that a new $6 million skilled trades wing will be built at the Nova Scotia Community College Marconi Campus in Sydney. The facility will house five programs, including a new combined fabrication/welding program. At least 80 seats currently housed at Cape Breton University will be moved to the Marconi campus. Construction of the two storey building is scheduled to begin this spring and will take a year to complete. Cape Breton Post, March 23, 2010
Accommodation and Food Services
Joe's Warehouse and Smooth Hermans of Sydney closed operations March 7, 2010 after operating in the downtown area for over 30 years. Owners cited a slumping economy and changing demographics as reasons for the closure. The operation employed approximately 80 staff (full-time and part-time) during peak periods. Cape Breton Post, March 8, 2010
Keltic Lodge in Ingonish will make changes to some services, as the resort tries to attract Atlantic Canadian and group travelers to make up for fewer American visitors. There will be changes to dining facilities and the gift shop will be moved to the main lodge. There is expected to be some reduction in staffing, although all staff who worked at the resort last year have been offered positions this season. Cape Breton Post, March 3, 2010
Public Administration:
The Citizenship and Immigration Canada case processing centre in Sydney has issued layoff notices to 84 temporary and 63 casual employees. The employees were hired with temporary funding to help with a period of workload needed at the centre. The overall budget for Sydney's case processing centre was not cut. Cape Breton Post, March 13, 2010
Other:
On April 1, 2010 Nova Scotia's minimum wage rose from $8.60 to $9.20 per hour. The minimum wage for inexperienced workers rose from $8.10 to $8.70 per hour. There will be an additional increase to $9.65 per hour on October 1, 2010. Various Sources, March 31, 2010
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