Labour Market Update - Cape Breton
July 2009*
Overview
(Source: http://www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm)
Seasonal job gains not enough to restore employment to 2008 levels
•Employment has been increasing in Cape Breton over the last four months. The improvement in labour market conditions is a seasonal occurrence associated with the warmer Spring and Summer months. Seasonal jobs on the Island are predominantly full-time and all of the net employment gains since March have been full-time.
•Despite the recent job gains, monthly employment levels so far in 2009 are below 2008 levels. Last year was a particularly good year for employment in Cape Breton, displaying the highest annual employment on record.
•July’s unemployment rate is three percentage points higher than it was a year ago and while labour force participation has improved steadily over the last few months because of seasonal job opportunities, it is still well below last July’s level.
•The seasonal job growth this year occurred mostly among Service industries including Health Care; Information, Culture & Recreation and Accommodation & Food but there was also growth in Goods sector employment, particularly from within the Primary industry group; Forestry, Fishing, Mining, Oil & Gas.
•As stated, employment is down from last year. Manufacturing and Trade have suffered the greatest job losses over the last 12 months.
*This report is an analysis of three month moving average data from Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey. The reader should be cautioned that because of relatively small sample sizes in subprovincial regions, data reliability might be an issue.
In the News
Shannex Health Care announced the construction of new seniors retirement facilities adjacent to their Harbourstone Health Care facility in Sydney. The new Parkland Retirement will feature a 67 suite retirement living residence and a 47 suite assisted living residence. The project is expected to create 100 jobs during the construction period and 60 permanent jobs once the facilities are operational. Cape Breton Post, July 9, 2009
Victoria County will be taking responsibility for solid waste collection in the county, ending the service which has been provided through private contractors. Victoria County will purchase three new compactor trucks and will be hiring six new staff in the public works department to handle solid waste collection. The initiative is expected to become operational between December 31 and April 30. Cape Breton Post, July 18, 2009
PetroWorth Resources announced that an 80 Kilometre 2D Seismic program is underway in the Mabou-Lake Ainslie area. The Toronto based company hopes to find a significant hydrocarbon system. The seismic testing is expected to be completed in early August. Cape Breton Post, July 11, 2009
CBCL has been awarded the engineering contract for the design and construction phases of the Northside Community Civic Centre in North Sydney. Construction is expected to begin in September 2009 and to be completed in October 2010. Cape Breton Post, July 4, 2009
The partnership of MB2 Excavation and Construction of Membertou and Beaver Marine has been awarded a $15.2 million contract as part of the Sydney Tar Ponds cleanup. The contract calls for the construction of a groundwater collection system and a water treatment plant at the former coke ovens site. The work is expected to begin in August 2009 and be completed the following spring. Cape Breton Post, July 24, 2009
The Utility and Review Board did not lend its support to a proposed 60mw renewable energy biomass project in the Strait area. The proposed project was a partnership between Nova Scotia Power, New Page and Strait Biogen Limited. Cape Breton Post, July 29, 2009
The Canadian Navy is falling short on its recruiting needs on East Coast ships, with only 2,200 of its 2,463 positions filled. According to the country’s top admiral, too many Canadians suffer from a lack of knowledge about the world-class careers in the navy, and he considers recruitment a top priority. The need for enhanced recruiting could become more noticeable by 2014 when Ottawa's defence strategy calls for the rolling out of six to eight Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships. Chronicle Herald, July 1,2009
The Nova Scotia government is calling tenders for 13 projects to improve highways, bridges and secondary roads across the province, including work on the Cabot Trail and Route 4 in Cape Breton. The province recently announced that it expects to spend $325 million on highway construction and major maintenance projects this year, surpassing last year's amount by more than $100 million. Cape Breton Post, July 9,2009.
For more information please contact . . .
Gary Hartlin
Economist
99 Wyse Road, P.O. Box 1350
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4B9
(902) 426-5561
E-Mail: gary.hartlin@servicecanada.gc.ca
Web Site: www.labourmarketinformation.ca
Labour Market Information Unit
Cape Breton Network
15 Dorchester Street
Sydney, Nova Scotia
(902) 564-7238
E-mail: ns-info-ne@servicecanada.gc.ca
Web site: www.labourmarketinformation.ca
