Labour Market Update - Halifax

• Employment was up again in June marking the ninth straight month of job gains in the Halifax Region.  The area has been adding strictly full-time jobs recently (during the last three months) while the number of part-time jobs has been diminishing.

•Labour force participation and employment are the highest in June than they have been for any month since at least January 2000.  The same is true for the working aged population and the employment rate.

•Despite record employment, the unemployment rate is unchanged from May but higher than last June.  This is because of the current higher labour force numbers in excess of employment gains that have added to unemployment.  This is especially true when compared with June of 2008.

•Employment is up from May in both the Goods and Services Sectors, although the job growth from last June has been limited to the Service Sector.  Goods Sector employment has declined over the last twelve months because of fewer Agriculture and Manufacturing jobs.

•Over the last year, job growth has come from the Public Sector (Education, Health Care, and Public Finance) and also from Transportation & Warehousing; Professional Scientific & Technical Services; and Finance, Insurance, Real Estate and Leasing.  The Trade industry group, while not up to June 2008 levels yet, has recently been experiencing employment gains.

• Unique Patterns, a division of Dartmouth-based Unique Solutions Ltd. (  www.uniquescan.com), have sold the rights to use the Unique Patterns name and will become the custom-fit arm for Simplicity patterns. According to the president and CEO, the sale will allow Unique Solutions to become one of the largest companies of its kind. It would also allow the business to add 30 positions in the next year, beyond the 35 employees currently employed.  - Chronicle Herald    6/23/2009

•Porter Airlines Inc. (  www.flyporter.com) will hire additional customer service representatives and ramp staff in Halifax, to handle increased daily flights to Ottawa and Toronto this summer. It expects to have 20 people working out of Halifax Stanfield International Airport this summer, leading up to September 7th, the end of the summer schedule. - Chronicle Herald      6/22/2009

•The IWK Community Midwives Clinic (  www.iwk.nshealth.ca) officially opened this month at 99 Wyse Road in Dartmouth. The IWK Health Centre has hired four midwives and will integrate them within their maternity care team, which will be regulated by the Midwifery Act that passed on March 18, 2009. - Chronicle Herald      6/26/2009

•Scotian Carbon Services, Nova Scotia's first carbon consulting firm, officially started up in Dartmouth this month. A division of wind developer Scotian Windfields (  www.scotianwindfields.ca), Scotian Carbon Services will carry out an assessment of a company’s carbon footprint and determine the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced. - Chronicle Herald    6/9/2009

•Northwood's West Bedford Continuing Care Centre (  www.nwood.ns.ca), a $40-million continuing care centre off Hammonds Plains Road, is on target for a Spring 2010 opening. The 150-room complex will provide residential and Level 2 care, and may also offer community outreach and adult day-care programs. - Chronicle Herald     6/22/2009

•GEOX, a premier Italian footwear brand, will officially open its first store in Atlantic Canada on Spring Garden Road this August. It will be the 25th retail location in Canada. Another Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy (  www.medicineshoppe.ca) opened this month at the Baker Professional Centre on 35 Baker Drive in Dartmouth, there are five Medicine Shoppe Pharmacies in the Halifax area. - Chronicle Herald     6/23/2009
A Halifax company unveiled its plan this month to build a new 526-hectare community development called The Parks of West Bedford, which will have the potential to house 18,000 people. West Bedford Holdings Ltd. will lead the largely residential development, as well as a 40-hectare business park. West Bedford Holdings is a joint-venture between Clayton Developments Ltd. and Cresco. - Chronicle Herald   6/24/2009

•Ledwidge Lumber Co. Ltd (  www.ledwidgelumber.com) announced early this month that it will be shutting down its sawmill operation in Enfield for up to three weeks, due to the temporary closures of Northern Pulp and AbitibiBowater’s pulp mill. Ledwidge will continue operations when either pulp mill opens. Ledwidge employs 56 people. - Chronicle Herald 6/4/2009