Labour Market Monitor - Northern Nova Scotia
May 2011
This is an overview of the Northern Region which includes Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. The Labour Market Monitor is a monthly report providing information on labour market developments for specific regions within the province.
Labour Force Trends
Employment in Northern Nova Scotia increased by 1,100 on a year over year basis. The employment increase represented a rise in full time work of 2,100 that was partially offset by a decline in part time employment. The labour force expanded much faster than employment from May 2010 to May 2011, and the level of unemployment rose in the area. The current unemployment rate, 10 percent, represents an increase from 9.5 percent in the same month last year.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Northern NS | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 220 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 76.0 | 77.8 |
| Employed (000) | 68.8 | 69.9 |
| Full Time | 55.1 | 57.2 |
| Part Time | 13.6 | 12.7 |
| Unemployed (000) | 7.2 | 7.8 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 58.4 | 59.9 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 9.5 | 10.0 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Agriculture Forestry Fishing and Hunting
The provincial government is investing $5 million to help achieve a fifty-percent reduction in clear cutting. $1 million will be used for training and outreach for woodlot owners, $2.2 million will enhance the Private Land Silviculture program to provide professional and technical services to small, private woodlot owners and $1.8 million towards tree harvest tracking, monitoring and compliance. There are 31,000 private woodlot owners in Nova Scotia.
Education Services
A planned merger was announced recently that will see the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC), in Bible Hill, become a faculty of Dalhousie University without losing it's identity. The merger will strengthen existing academic research programs and ensure that NSAC can compete with other academic institutions, nationally and internationally while maintaining and expanding jobs in Nova Scotia's agriculture and agri-food sector. Precise details of the merger, which is expected to take 12 months to complete, are still to be worked out. Another goal of the merger is to ensure benefits for the Annapolis Valley and Cumberland County regions by also partnering with Acadia University to capitalize on the use of the Kentville Agricultural Research Station as well as potential spin-offs at the Nappan Agricultural Research Station. Truro Daily News, May 21, 2011
Health Care
The Pictou County Health Authority will not be providing residency spots for five family doctors from the Dalhousie Medical School. The residency program was awarded to Annapolis Valley Health in Kentville. The News, May 14, 2011
Information and Cultural Industries
Cumberland County's two weekly newspapers, The Citizen and The Record, will merge into one stonger weekly publication. The Citizen-Record, to be published every Thursday, will contain all the news content, columns and features that readers have come to expect and enjoy in their former papers. It will be a larger, more comprehensive package reflecting the values and interests of all parts of Cumberland County. Andrew Wagstaff and Christopher Gooding, editors of The Citizen and The Record, respectively, will be co-editors of The Citizen-Record. Each will continue to work from our locations in Amherst, Springhill and Parrsboro. The Citizen-Record is published by Transcontinental Media, the largest publisher of community daily and weekly newspapers in Atlantic Canada. Amherst Daily, May 26, 2011
Manufacturing
The future of Maritime Steel will not be decided on May 31, 2011. The New Glasgow foundry, which closed at the end of 2010, has two bidders for its assets. The high bidder, Abbas Jafarnia, has not met the conditions necessary to take over the manufacturing plant. However, it is expected that the deadline for conditions will be extended to July 2011. Sixty workers have been without work since Maritime Steel ceased operations last December. The News, May 31, 2011
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
A Calgary-based oil and natural gas company Forent Energy, recently held an open house at the Stewiacke Community Centre. They are currently in the permitting process for seismic testing in the area east of Stewiacke to the Alton region. The company is also working with property owners to secure permission for the seismic testing, which is hoped to lead to actual oil-well production by about the middle of next year. If successful, the project will involve a $5 million investment, of which approximately 60 per cent would remain in the province through local labour expenses, hotel accommodations, meals, etc. Truro Daily News, May 11, 2011
Public Administration
The Town of Mulgrave is currently constructing a new water treatment plant which is to be completed by December 2011. ACL Construction is the main contractor for the $3.4 million project. Guysborough Journal, May 5, 2011
The Town of Truro will spend about $2.1 million from its $22.4-million annual budget on street repairs, curb and gutter work, sidewalk construction and sewer upgrades. Truro Daily News, May 11, 2011
The Colchester County Council have agreed on a financing plan for the North Colchester Library in Tatamagouche. The municipality will cover $575,000 of the new library's estimated $995,000 total cost. The province is kicking in $60,000 towards the cost of a geo-thermal heating/cooling system while area ratepayers are to pick up the remaining amount. The tender for the new library has been awarded to a Bedford company called Jetco. Construction is expected to begin sometime in May 2011. Truro Daily News, May 2, 2011
Real Estate
The Albion Power Centre, Stellarton, will soon see the construction of Brownstone Cafe, a food retailer, and a big box home furnishings retailer. All three have purchased land at Pictou County's new 800-acre retail and commercial park along the Trans-Canada Highway. The News, May 14, 2011
Retail Trade
Blockbuster, in the Amherst Centre Mall, will close its doors on June 18, 2011 putting seven people out of work. Blockbuster Canada was placed into receivership earlier this month. It's believed that a third of the company's video rental outlets, some 154 stores, will close across the country, affecting up to 1,400 employees. Earlier this week, court-ordered receiver Grant Thornton confirmed that a number of stores would close, but stopped short of naming those that would be impacted. Amherst Daily News May 26, 2011
A large, new store specializing in children's clothing is coming to the Truro Mall. Strathallen Property Management Inc. announced recently that international retailer, The Children's Place, will be opening a new store, measuring approximately 4,000 sq. ft., in the mall by late summer or early fall. The store is to be located beside Zellers and construction is already underway. Truro Daily News, May 11, 2011
Utilities
The Glen Dhu wind farm along the Antigonish/Pictou boundary has officially opened with twenty-seven turbines producing 62.1 megawatts of power. Employment reached about 120 people during construction in late 2010 and early 2011. Two people are now employed at the site. Management and maintenance of the turbines and electrical system have been contracted out to Nova Scotia companies. The News, May 9, 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 please contact your local Labour Market Information Analyst
for Cumberland / Colchester: ken.mills@servicecanada.gc.ca
for Pictou, Antigonish, Guysborough : diane.tibbo@servicecanada.gc.ca
or visit our website at: www.labourmarketinformation.ca