Labour Market Monitor - Southern Nova Scotia
April 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 continued to grow in the Southern Nova Scotia region, although the increase was marginal this month. The increase in employment was entirely in full time work, with part time employment actually deteriorating slightly over the period. With the labour force decreasing by 1,400 from April 2010 to April 2011, the number of unemployed fell by 2,000 and the unemployment rate dropped by 3.2 percentage points to 12.7 percent this month compared to 15.9 percent for the same time period last year.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Southern | April | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 240 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Labour Force (000) | 58.0 | 56.6 |
| Employed (000) | 48.8 | 49.4 |
| Full Time | 37.0 | 37.8 |
| Part Time | 11.8 | 11.6 |
| Unemployed (000) | 9.2 | 7.2 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 58.4 | 57.4 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 15.9 | 12.7 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Fishing
The harbour of Port Mouton has a new piece of boat hauling equipment. The new haul up trailer was launched in mid-April, with a total cost of the equipment set at $600,000. Cost of the project was divided between the federal and provincial governments, the Harbour Authority, and Little Hope Herring Committee. The haul up trailer is the first of its kind in Nova Scotia to be completely owned by a harbour. Liverpool Advance - 26 April 2011
Utilities
The sewage plant in Conquerall Bank, Lunenburg County, is going to be fully repaired. Council approved a $120,000 project to design and build a pre-manufactured modular sewer-treatment system. The municipality was forced to take over the plant several years ago or else close several homes down that were connected to the system. Bridgewater Bulletin - 19 April 2011
Manufacturing
The province of Nova Scotia invested $10 million into Harry Freeman and Sons Ltd. The Queens County sawmill operates in Greenfield, employs 125 people and has an annual salary exceeding $4 million. They also purchase more than $16 million in supplies and services each year from local suppliers. The investment will help to reduce their cost while keeping them competitive globally. Liverpool Advance - 19 April 2011
Business, Building & Other Support
Corporate Services Company (CSC) announced in late-April the lay-off of 20 employees from their internet-based, domain name management business, located in the Hebron Industrial Park. Increased competition is the reason given for the layoff that will leave the company with only 13 employees. CSC was established in 2006 as a spin-off of Register.com, employing 65 people in the beginning. The affected employees have the opportunity to remain employed for six months while they look for other employment. Yarmouth Vanguard - 28 April 2011
Education
The South Shore Regional School Board stated that school library funding will be reduced by over 50 percent in the upcoming budget. Even after trimming $700,000 in salaries from the central office, the board still needs to find another $2 million to balance their budget after provincial funding reductions. Bridgewater Bulletin - 26 April 2011
According to the Nova Scotia Teachers Union about two hundred and thirty full-time equivalent teaching positions will be cut across the province in order for school boards to balance their budgets this coming school year. Locally, the NSTU projects that the South Shore Regional School Board will eliminate 11 full-time equivalents and the Tri-County Regional School Board will eliminate 24. The union also stated that all of their projections are expected to increase, depending what choices school boards make. Chronicle Herald - 28 April 2011
The provincial government will continue its commitment to the film industry tax credit. The credit is viewed as being an investment as it offers a big return for Nova Scotia. The tax credit allows Nova Scotia to compete for production, which ultimately creates more jobs in the provinces film industry. Producers are allowed to claim full tax credit for its employers who are Nova Scotia residents, making Nova Scotia more competitive when competing for productions. Each year the industry employs about 3,000 people and contributes more than $100 million to the economy. Shelburne Coastguard - 12 April 2011
Public Administration - Provincial
The Province has contributed $100,000 towards the creation of a private sector led task force that will concentrate on seeking business opportunities in Yarmouth and the surrounding areas. The investment is designed to grow the economy and attract people to southwest Nova Scotia. The task force's work re will be transitioned to a new regional development authority within 30 days of its creation. Yarmouth Vanguard - 12 April 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