Labour Market Monitor - Southern Nova Scotia
January 2011
This is an overview of the Southern Region which includes Digby, Yarmouth, Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg Counties.
The Labour Market Monitor is a monthly report focusing on labour market information produced by a local Labour Market Information Analyst.
Labour Force Trends
Employment grew by 1,400 on a year over year basis for the Southern Nova Scotia region, with the rise being primarily comprised of full time employment. The labour force contracted slightly over the same period, and correspondingly the level of unemployment dropped sharply. The unemployment rate decreased significantly, falling by 2.7 percentage points from 14.3% in January 2010 to 11.6% in January 2011.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Southern | January | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 240 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 57.9 | 57.7 |
| Employed (000) | 49.6 | 51.0 |
| Full Time | 38.9 | 39.9 |
| Part Time | 10.7 | 11.1 |
| Unemployed (000) | 8.3 | 6.7 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 58.1 | 58.3 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 14.3 | 11.6 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Forestry
The lobster fishery had to deal with many issues as the calendar rolled over to 2011, with roughly 48 percent of lobster fishermen suffered significant losses to equipment and traps due to bad weather in LFA 33. Mild weather early in the season meant increased catches but also high winds and unusually high sea levels. The weather also affected lobster exports to Europe travelling on cargo planes and a water line break at Heathrow airport left the Air Canada cargo terminal with extensive water damage and no electrical power. Various Sources - 6 January 2011
Construction
The town of Bridgewater reported a 30 percent sag in building activity in 2010 over the previous year, the lowest value since 2005. The engineering department reported construction permits valued at $12.8 million, compared to $17.9 million in 2009. Despite the decrease, the number of new dwelling units remains on an upswing with 84 units in 2010. Bridgewater Bulletin - 25 January 2011
A major renovation project and marketing initiative at Annapolis Basin Conference Centre (ABCC) received $939,000 in funding from the federal government. ABCC plans to use the funding to update accommodation and hospitality facilities, purchase new equipment, enhance staff training, finish landscaping and increase marketing activities. Digby Courier - 27 January 2011
Manufacturing
Reinforces Plastics Systems, designer and manufacturer of composite corrosion resistant pipe systems and process equipment in Mahone Bay, announced that they are looking to grow their workforce. The company is looking to add as many as 30 workers to deal with a significant backlog of orders. Bridgewater Bulletin - 11 January 2011
Van Dyk's Wild Blueberry Juice, based out of Caledonia in North Queens, was awarded a repayable $94,000 loan to purchase and install a new bottling line in its juice processing facility. The equipment will help to improve food safety standards and increase production capacity. Liverpool Advance - 25 January 2011
Michelin's Bridgewater plant hired a near record number of staff in 2010. According to the director of human resources, the calendar year saw 151 full-time people hired at the Bridgewater plant. The primary reason for the staffing was attrition, because over the past five years, many people have been retiring after 30 years of service with the company. Hiring was across a whole spectrum of positions but primarily production workers. The 2011 jobs outlook remains positive, particularly on the technical skills side. Bridgewater Bulletin - 25 January 2011
Trade
U.S. retail giant, Target, bought up to 220 Zellers stores in Canada. Target expects to open 100 to 150 Target stores throughout Canada in 2013 and 2014. Additionally, it is expected that a select number of Zellers locations will be assigned to other retail enterprises. Target is still determining which locations will be renovated to become Target stores and which will remain Zellers. The Bridgewater and Yarmouth store's long-term future remains unclear at this time. Bridgewater Bulletin - 18 January 2011
Education
According to the minister, teacher retirements will help cut costs in the education system. It is expected that 1,000 teachers will retire over the next three years and the number of students will drop by 7,000. The province is seeking ways seeks ways to deal with potential spending reductions in education, and is emphasizing that school boards should make first cuts in the area of administration. The Nova Scotia Teachers Union said providing a good education won't be possible if roughly 10 percent of teaching positions disappear. Chronicle-Herald - 21 January 2011
Health Care and Social Assistance
A new 13,000-square-foot addition to Harbour View Haven Home for Special Care in Lunenburg officially opened in early January. The new addition cost about $6.2 million to build and houses 18 long-term-care beds. Bridgewater Bulletin - 18 January 2011
Bayside Home, a long term care facility in Shelburne County, held a job fair in late January to attract the forty new positions they will need once the expansion is completed this spring. The estimated $16 million project will triple the capacity of the facility from 22 to 62 beds. Full-time, part-time and casual positions were offered for CCAs, nursing staff, laundry, food services and maintenance staff. Shelburne Coastguard - 25 January 2011
Information and Culture
Nova Scotia Music Week is returning to Yarmouth for a third consecutive year in early November 2011. The four-day music festival and conference generates approximately $1 million in the host community. The organization stated that there was also a strong bid from Liverpool but the absence a 1,500-2,000 seat venue for the Gala Awards Show was an obstacle, one that would be overcome with the current construction of Queens Place. Various Sources - 19 January 2011
Accommodation & Food Services
The accommodation and lounge portion of the Rodd Colony Harbour Inn in Yarmouth closed at the end of January. The closure affects 20 workers, about a dozen of them full-time. The 65-hotel-room and Thirsty Fisherman Pub were closed in a way that would allow them to be quickly reopened when there is a call for additional room nights due to a special event in the local area. The two Rodd properties, Colony and Grand, ran at about 25 percent capacity without a ferry service in 2010. The company's business in Yarmouth was down about 50 percent. Yarmouth Vanguard - 25 January 2011
Note: In preparing this bulletin, 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 the bulletin was published. Readers are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this bulletin does not necessarily reflect official policies of Service Canada.For more information please contact:
David Doucette
Labour Market Information Analyst
david.doucette@servicecanada.gc.ca
or visit our website at: www.labourmarketinformation.ca