Labour Market Update - Southern Nova Scotia
Data Source: Statistics Canada's Labour Force Data June 2009*
Employment Continues to Improve in Southern Nova Scotia
•Employment rose in Southern Nova Scotia for the third straight month. The job gains have been primarily full-time.
•June’s employment gains brought the unemployment rate down to 11.3 percent from May’s 13.2 percent despite a labour force increase during the month. Labour force participation has risen steadily since January.
•Employment this month is below last June’s level, but there are more full-time jobs this year. The unemployment rate was 2.8 percentage points lower last June at 8.5 percent.
•Employment peaked in July of 2008 and declined throughout the year. It ‘bottomed out’ in January 2009 and we have seen some positive gains since then. This trend resulted from full-time employment primarily. Part-time employment, while undergoing similar declines mid-year 2008, has been relatively stable since December of 2008.
•Overall employment has been following the usual seasonal pattern for Southern Nova Scotia in 2009 but at a lower level in each month than last year.
•Both the Goods and Services sectors generated employment gains in June but job levels in each sector are still below those of last June.
In the News
A $65 million lobster fishery aid package, spread over five years for the Atlantic Provinces and Quebec, was announced by Ottawa in early June. The government believes that about 3,000 will qualify for the low-income transitional assistance that has a cap of $5,000. To qualify, applicants must be lobster-dependent fishermen who earned income from lobster fishing in both 2008 and 2009, and have reported a drop of at least 25 percent in income from lobster landings in 2009. The remaining $50 million has been earmarked for lobster sustainability measures. Various Sources - 12 June 2009
Lewis Mouldings reported that they hired an additional 16 employees since late-May and may add another three to the production line. Sales forecasts for the Digby-county manufacturer indicate that the trend will continue through the calendar year. Digby Courier - 25 June 2009
Starlink Aviation, the air service provider at the Yarmouth International Airport, reported that their rider-ship has increased but the service is still not making money. They have $2 million in provincial funding but may have to lobby for federal funding in order to maintain the service over the long term. Yarmouth Vanguard - 16 June 2009
Prior to the provincial election, the government gave Composites Atlantic of Lunenburg a $1 million repayable loan to buy equipment to complete a defence contract and rehire 60 to 70 people who had been temporarily laid off. The funding was part of the province’s Industrial Expansion Fund. Bridgewater Bulletin - 11 June 2009
Mid Valley Construction’s tender for Lunenburg’s new water treatment facility was accepted by the council in early June. The $6.9 million dollar project is equally funded between the three levels of government with work expected to begin once approval is obtained from the Department of Environment. Mid Valley estimates 40 weeks to complete the project. Bridgewater Bulletin - 9 June 2009
Best Western Liverpool Hotel and Conference Centre opened in late-June. The project, located near the upcoming Queens Place recreation and cultural centre, is valued at about $5-million. The Region of Queens also stated that they expect to announce other developments for the area in the near future. Liverpool Advance - 23 June 2009
Halifax’s imX Interaktion Films Inc. spent a week in Chester in early June filming the German television production “Two Sisters.” Chester was depicted as being a seaside village outside of Boston. Bridgewater Bulletin - 9 June 2009
The South West Nova District Health Authority stated that the emergency departments in Digby General Hospital and Shelburne’s Roseway Hospital will be closed for two weeks in July. In both case, the closures are due to a shortage of physicians. Various Sources - 30 June 2009
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