Labour Market Monitor - Southern Nova Scotia
September 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
The labour market in Southern Nova Scotia grew from September 2009 to September 2010. The labour force increased sharply (2,500) on a year over year basis. Employment increased by 1,000, with an increase in part time employment outpacing a rise in full time work. With the increase in the labour force being significantly greater than employment growth, the level of unemployment rose by 1,600 on a year over year basis, and the unemployment rate increased from 8.6 percent in September 2009 to 10.8 percent in September 2010.
For more information, please visit the Statistics Canada website at: www40.statcan.gc.ca/l01/cst01/lfss05b-eng.htm
| Southern | September | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region: 1240 | 2009 | 2010 | Change |
| Labour Force (000) | 66.8 | 66.3 | 2.5 |
| Employed (000) | 59.7 | 58.73 | 1.0 |
| Full Time | 48.1 | 47.8 | 0.3 |
| Part Time | 11.6 | 10.9 | 0.7 |
| Unemployed (000) | 7.1 | 5.5 | 1.6 |
| Participation Rate (%) | 64.9 | 62.3 | 2.6 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 10.6 | 8.6 | 2.0 |
| Data is 3 month moving average from the Labour Force Survey, Statistics Canada | |||
Labour Market News by Industry
Utilities
Lunenburg's new $7.2 million water treatment plant officially opened in early September. The plant was equally funded by the three levels of government. Bridgewater Bulletin - 7 September 2010
Construction
The federal government announced $1.8 million in funding for small craft harbours in Shelburne County in early September. The wharves included in the announcement were Falls Point Wharf, Gunning Cove Wharf, Port LaTour Wharf, Cripple Creek Wharf and the Shag Harbour Wharf. The projects include engineering work, breakwaters, floating docks and environmental studies. Shelburne Coastguard - 7 September 2010
The number of building permits issued by the Municipality of Digby is on par with last year. The estimated value for 2009 was just over $1.6 million but to date this year the value is nearly double at $2.94 million. Two major projects contributing to this year's value is construction of the new Tideview Terrace and the wind turbine project. Digby Courier - 23 September 2010
Bridgewater's water utility awarded a $2 million tender for initial dam upgrade work to Atlantic Industrial Services. Work on the Hebb Lake and Weagle Road dams will include spillways, fishways and water flow gates. About $1.4 million of the cost is being covered by the federal and provincial governments. Bridgewater Bulletin - 7 September 2010
Lunenburg Council approved tenders in the amount of $120,000 for improvements on a trio of town streets and a pair of publicly owned buildings. The winning bids were from Dexter Construction, LaHave Paving, Nauss Brothers Contracting and Willfield Ltd. Bridgewater Bulletin - 7 September 2010
Manufacturing
Composites Atlantic is a key player in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project that includes construction of F-35 aircraft. The company produces composite fuselage panels for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft. The contract is expected to add 15 permanent jobs to the company's workforce, which currently numbers approximately 350. Bridgewater Bulletin - 21 September 2010
Transportation & Warehousing
Bay Ferries announced an extension of their peak season schedule to accommodate increased traffic on their Digby to St. John ferry. The company stated that the 25 to 30 percent increase can be attributed to many factors, including the discontinued high-speed CAT ferry between Yarmouth and Maine. Digby Courier - 1 September 2010
Accommodation & Food Services
Despite Hurricane Earl dampening one day, Digby's sixth annual Wharf Rat Rally attracted about 85,000 people and 20,000 motorcycles. Organizers believe that without the storm they would have hit their 100,000 people projection. Digby Courier - 16 September 2010
Public Administration - Federal
Université Sainte-Anne received $320,000 in federal funding to develop a comprehensive information technology strategy for Atlantic Canada's francophone businesses. One of the project goals is to help small to mid-sized businesses make better use of technology to market their products to the world. Yarmouth Vanguard - 14 September 2010
Public Administration - Provincial
Nova Scotia's minimum wage increased from $9.20 to $9.65 in October. The second scheduled increase this year translated to a 4.9 percent increase for experienced minimum wage earners. Inexperienced workers get a pay hike from $8.70 to $9.15 per hour. The latest increase brings a full-time minimum wage worker to the low income cut-off for a single individual. Various Sources - 28 September 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