Labour Market Monitor - Cape Breton
June 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 market in Cape Breton expanded from June 2009 to June 2010. The labour force increased by 2,500 on a year-over-year basis. Employment increased by 2,200 over the same period, reflecting a large increase in full-time work (1,800) and a small increase in part-time work. With the increase in the labour force being only marginally greater than the rise in employment, the level of unemployment changed little from June 2009 to June 2010, while the unemployment rate was stable.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Cape Breton | June | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 210 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Labour Force (000) | 64.1 | 66.6 |
| Employed (000) | 54.0 | 56.2 |
| Full Time | 44.6 | 46.4 |
| Part Time | 9.5 | 9.8 |
| Unemployed (000) | 10.1 | 10.5 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 55.7 | 58.3 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 15.8 | 15.8 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Health Care
Celtic Court nursing home held its official opening Friday, June 11 at the new facility on St. Anthony drive in Sydney. The home is one of nine Shannex facilities that have opened during the past year in Nova Scotia that held the official opening. The nine new Shannex facilities employ more than 600 people including continuing care assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, physiotherapists and various support staff. The first residents of Celtic Court moved in on September 16, 2009. Cape Breton Post June 12, 2010.
The Theresa Cremo Memorial Health Centre held its grand opening June 1, 2010 in Waycobah. The centre contains offices for nurses, community health and wellness workers, a clinical therapist, exam rooms and teleconferencing equipment. In July 2010 a physician will arrive from Ontario to begin his practice at the centre. The centre has been unofficially open since the fall of 2009. Inverness Oran, June 2, 2010
Business, Building & Other Support Services
The Membertou Business Centre officially opened in Membertou. The Centre houses the Unama'ki Economic Benefits Office, which has six employees and will soon be hiring two more staff members. The Centre also contains the Membertou Entrepreneurial Centre. Cape Breton Post, June 29, 2010
Construction
Construction has started on an addition to the Port Hawkesbury Nursing Home. Dora Construction Inc. won the tender for the construction of the new wing, which is scheduled to be completed in December 2010. Inverness Oran, June 16, 2010
The province of Nova Scotia announced a $15 million commitment toward the cost of dredging Sydney Harbour. The commitment is contingent on the federal government contributing the remaining $19 million toward the project. Cape Breton Post, June 9, 2010
The Membertou Connector Road linking Kings Road to George St. through Membertou First Nation opened on June 23, 2010. The 2.2 kilometre road is open for commercial development and allowed for the building of the Membertou Business Centre, which now contains six tenants. Membertou also laid out plans for a new Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel to be located across from the Membertou Trade and Convention Centre. Cape Breton Post, June 24
Public Administration
A consultant hired by the Cape Breton Regional Municipality has recommended that the municipality reduce its governance structure to 12 councilors and a mayor. Stantec Inc. also recommended that boundaries be redrawn to incorporate new municipal districts. The CBRM is presently governed by 17 councilors and a mayor. Cape Breton Post, June 15, 2010
Information, Culture & Recreation
Eastlink is laying off 33 in its television division across Canada, including 13 in Nova Scotia. The 13 layoffs in Nova Scotia are spread out fairly evenly across the province and mainly affect technicians working at various Eastlink television production centres. The company said no community channels are closing and commitments to local programming and access to community television will be maintained in Nova Scotia. Chronicle Herald, June 18, 2010
Retail Trade
The Sydney Shopping Centre has announced plans to redevelop the centre into a community retail plaza. The new development will maintain anchor stores Sobeys, Shoppers Drug Mart and Zellers. A number of tenants have left the shopping centre in recent months, and Heather Bowling Lanes recently announced that it will cease operations due to the redevelopment of the Centre. Cape Breton Post, June 2, 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