Labour Market Monitor - Southern Nova Scotia
August 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 levels in Southern Nova Scotia improved slightly from August 2009 to August 2010. The slight decrease in full-time work of 400 was more than offset by an increase in part-time work (700). The labour force increased on a year-over-year basis by 2,000. With no significant change in employment levels and an increase in the labour force, the number of unemployed rose. The unemployment rate increased on a year-over-year basis, rising from 9 percent to 11.3 percent this month.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Southern NS | August | |
|---|---|---|
| Region: 240 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Labour Force (000) | 65.4 | 67.4 |
| Employed (000) | 59.4 | 59.7 |
| Full Time | 48.8 | 48.4 |
| Part Time | 10.6 | 11.3 |
| Unemployed (000) | 5.9 | 7.6 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 63.3 | 65.4 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 9.0 | 11.3 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | ||
Labour Market News by Industry
Fishing
With decreased herring catches and smaller fish being caught, hundreds of fish plant workers in Southwestern Nova Scotia have been without work for much of the herring season. The workers are worried that they will not have enough hours to receive their unemployment benefits when the season ends in October. Many workers have writing to politicians, trying to have the required number of hours to claim unemployment lowered for fish plant workers, simply because there is no way they will be able to reach the minimum. Yarmouth Vanguard - 10 August 2010
Construction
Phase two of the sewer project in New Germany is set to begin. The Municipality of Lunenburg awarded the $1.09 million project to Mid Valley Construction. The second phase of the project involves continuing the replacement of the out-dated sewer system. Initially the project was projected to cost $1.5 million, but Mid Valley Construction won the tender with an estimate of $320,000 under budget. Bridgewater Bulletin- 10 August 2010
The Region of Queens accepted the bid from Maxim 2000 Inc. for Queens Place, at a construction cost of $14.5 million. In addition to the construction costs, civil work and soft costs as architects, will all be added to the price, bringing the total to $20 million. The Advance- 31 August 2010
Manufacturing:
A new marketing initiative will help Nova Scotia Boat Builders Association's members advertise their products. Funding from both the federal and provincial governments was recently announced. A total of $185,650 has been awarded to the association, and will help to promote the Nova Scotia builders on a more world-wide basis. Yarmouth Vanguard - 17 August 2010
Transportation and Warehousing
Control of the Yarmouth ferry terminal is going to the community, clearing the path to pursue an operator for 2011. The next step is to put out a formal request for proposals to determine what operators are interested and determine what ports in Maine are in play. The terminal lease is expected to be formally signed over to the Yarmouth Area Industrial Commission in September. Yarmouth Vanguard - 31 August 2010
Education
Le Centre Scolaire de la Rive-Sud, Lunenburg County's new French school, opened in early September. The $13 million school is built to accommodate 285 students and is located just north of Wal-Mart on Highway 10. Enrolment is estimated to be 160 students, an increase from 120 students last year. Bridgewater Bulletin - 31 August 2010
Health Care and Social Assistance:
September 2010 marks the first month since 2007 that there are no planned closures in any emergency department in South West Health. Roseway Hospital has had no planned closures since March and now Digby General Hospital has all shifts covered. Digby Courier - 31 August 2010
Accommodation and Food Service
Data for the month of July from the Visitor Information Centre in Yarmouth indicated that 184 U.S. visitors stopped at the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores counter, compared to 1,090 in July of last year. Total visitors for July were 983, down from 2001. The loss of the CAT Ferry was expected to have a significant impact on local tourism this season and a spokesperson for the local tourism industry stated that there have been declines from between 25 and 75 percent amongst a large cross-section of the industry. The two Rodd hotel properties stated that they have seen a 30 to 40 percent drop in revenues. Yarmouth Vanguard - 31 August 2010
Public Administration - Federal
Services for disabled people in the West Nova riding who want to improve their job skills are about to expand as the result of $126,221 from the federal government as part of the community coordinator component of the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities. Yarmouth Vanguard- 3 August 2010
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