Labour Market Monitor - Cape Breton
July 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 Cape Breton labour market showed no significant improvements in July 2011 compared to July 2010. Although the number of unemployed workers and the area's unemployment rate both dropped over the year, these declines were the result of workers leaving the labour market rather than any gains in employment. Employment levels actually declined by 1,600 over the 12 month period leaving the unemployment rate in Cape Breton for July 2011 at 13.7%.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Cape Breton | July | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 210 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 67.8 | 65.2 |
| Employed (000) | 58.0 | 56.4 |
| Full Time | 48.6 | 46.3 |
| Part Time | 9.4 | 10.0 |
| Unemployed (000) | 9.8 | 8.9 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 59.8 | 58.2 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 14.5 | 13.7 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Business, Building and Other Support Services
Aditya Birla Minacs of Port Hawkesbury will resume operations on August 8, 2011. The company has secured a five year contact with a leading Canadian bank which will result in an estimated 200 to 250 jobs at the Port Hawkesbury operation. The centre had issued layoffs to its employees in December 2010. Cape Breton Post, July 13, 2011
Finance, Insurance, real Estate & Leasing
East Coast Credit Unions, which recently merged with Heritage Credit Union, announced a business plan which supports the existing network of branch locations for a minimum of three years. Port Hawkesbury Reporter, July 6, 2011
Oil & Gas
Petro Worth Resources has been granted a one year extension on its land lease agreement in the Lake Ainslie area. The company applied last fall to drill an exploration well in search of oil, although no date has been set to date for a decision on Petro Worth's application. Inverness Oran July 13, 2011
Education
The Natural Resources Environmental Technology program offered at the Nova Scotia Community College Strait Campus has achieved national accreditation through the Environmental Careers Organization Canada. Graduates of the two year diploma program will be nationally accredited as Environmental Professionals in Training (EPT). Port Hawkesbury Reporter, July 13, 2011.
Construction
The dredging of the Sydney harbour access channel will get underway on October 1, 2011. The channel will be dredged to a depth of 17 metres and will take approximately 9 weeks to complete. The deeper channel will allow the port to market the harbour to post panamax container ships. The Dutch firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. has been contracted for the dredging project. Cape Breton Post, July 22, 2011
Retail Trade
The Pardy House Café opened for business at LeNoir Landing in Arichat. Port Hawkesbury Reporter, July 13, 2011
Bayside Farmer's Market began operating at the Bayside Garden Centre in Whycocomagh on July 15. Inverness Oran, July 13, 2011
Fishing
Cold Water Fisheries Inc. has expanded aquaculture operations to Cape Breton, opening a rainbow trout hatchery in St. Peters and partnering with Wacobah first nation at a fish farm. The hatchery in St. Peters will raise trout fry, most of which will go to Atoquasu Farms Ltd. in Whycocomagh to be grown to market size. The fish hatchery is expected to employ three people at the St Peters site and possibly five at the Waycobah fish farm. Cold Water is the largest strictly rainbow trout aquaculture company in Canada. Cape Breton Post, July 13, 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 Working in Canada