Southern Nova Scotia Labour Market Monitor -April 2010
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 providing information on labour market developments for specific regions within the province.
Labour Force Trends
Employment decreased sharply (2,600) in the Southern Region, with a significant drop (4,400) in full time employment outweighing an increase (1,800) in part time work. The labour force decreased by 1,900 over the same period, and correspondingly, the level of unemployment rose by 600 on a year over year basis. This resulted in an increase in the unemployment rate for the area of 1.5 percentage points from 14.4 percent in April 2009 to 15.9 percent in April 2010.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Southern NS | April | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 240 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Labour Force (000) | 62.4 | 60.5 |
| Employed (000) | 53.4 | 50.8 |
| Full Time | 43.0 | 38.6 |
| Part Time | 10.4 | 12.2 |
| Unemployed (000) | 9.0 | 9.6 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 60.3 | 58.7 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 14.4 | 15.9 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Construction
The Cape Forchu Light Station will carry on with phase two of a $2.7 million revitalization project this summer. The funding is a partnership between the Municipality of Yarmouth and ACOA. Renovations include road work, culverts, new sidewalks, a retaining wall, site lighting and a new look-off platform. Tenders are out for the project and work is expected to start by early summer. 20 April 2010 - Yarmouth Vanguard
The Municipality of Lunenburg and Town of Bridgewater ratified a deal in late-April confirming the Lunenburg County Lifestyle Centre will be a $32 million library, pool and one 1,500-seat ice surface facility. The proposed second ice surface is postponed due to costs and demand. Site work is expected to begin this fall and the building being completed in late 2012. The federal and provincial governments had previously announced slightly more than $20 million in combined funding commitments. 27 April 2010 - Bridgewater Bulletin
The $1.2 million upgrades to the Shag Harbour wharf are scheduled to begin shortly after the lobster season comes to a close at the end of May and continue to dumping day. The project includes widening the wharf by 12 feet and dredging the harbour. 6 April 2010 - Shelburne Coastguard
Manufacturing:
Bowater's Oakhill sawmill stated that the Brooklyn mill's five-week closure, from mid-April to mid-May, will not impact their production. The sawmill will continue to operate with workers doing one eight-hour shift, fiver days per week. The Oakhill site employs 110 people. 6 April 2010 - Bridgewater Bulletin
Information & Culture
The project director for the province's broadband initiative in Queens County stated that the area should have complete coverage in early May. The three sites left to be serviced are Mill Village, Pleasantfield and Middlefield. The $75 million broadband initiative is being cost shared by the provincial and federal governments and the three service providers. 6 April 2010 - Liverpool Advance
Real Estate
According to numbers released in late April, the average price for Yarmouth homes sold through the Multiple Listing Service was $129,359 during the first three months of the year. That is up over 45 percent when compared to the same period in 2009, the largest jump in the province. The South Shore saw a large increase, 27.1 percent to $164,115. 27 April 2010 - Chronicle Herald
Education
The provincial government announced an additional $2 million in funding for high demand programs at some Nova Scotia Community Colleges. The money will create an additional 250 seats in NSCC campuses across the province, including the Mental Health Recovery and Promotion Program at the Burridge Campus in Yarmouth. 20 April 2010 - Yarmouth Vanguard
Health:
Shannex announced that the opening of their 65-bed, long-term care facility, known as Ryan Hall, will likely be from mid to late May. Ryan Hall is a single storey complex that will house 50 nursing home and 15 residential care facility beds. Roughly 80 positions will be created for the facility with more professionals still needed in the fields of nursing and continuing care. 6 April 2010 - Bridgewater Bulletin
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Mid-April saw Lunenburg home to three separate film crews and productions, a movie, a miniseries and a theatrical-style trailer for the miniseries. It was estimated that the three productions injected $12 million into the economy on the South Shore from Hubbards to Riverport. 27 April 2010 - Bridgewater Bulletin
Provincial Government
The provincial government presented its budget in early April and one of the measures to help balance the budget is to increase the HST by two percentage points to 15 percent effective July 1. 15 April 2010 - Various Sources
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