Labour Market Bulletin - Annapolis Valley

April 2009*

 Overview

Labour Force Survey Data

April’s general labour market indicators show no sign of a recession in the Annapolis Valley.  Employment is up from March’s level and the job gains over the month were all full-time.  Despite more people entering the labour force looking for work, unemployment was lower in April as was the unemployment rate.

Compared to last April, employment is higher this year with more of both full-time and part-time jobs. There are also more unemployed this April though, and the unemployment rate is higher.  This is because of a greater rate of participation in the labour force; more people are looking for work.

Industry Analysis

Employment is up slightly from March in the Goods Sector.   Only Forestry, Fishing, Mining & Oil & Gas saw a decline during the month and that was a minor decrease. 

The number of jobs in the sector is down from last April, however.  Construction and Manufacturing are the industry groups responsible for the decline over the past 12 months.  More than any other, these two industries have been affected by recessionary pressures here at home and from south of the border.  Construction is now at the April 2005 level and Manufacturing employment hasn’t been this low for April since 1997.

Service Sector employment is up both from March this year and from April of last year.  Gains or losses among individual industry groups were slight over the last month. 

Compared to last year in April, employment is down in Education and Health Care most notably while Other Services and Business, Building & Other Support Services showed marked employment gains.

*This report is an analysis of three month moving average data from statistics Canada's monthly Labour Force Survey.  The reader should be cautioned that because of relatively small sample sizes in subprovincial regions, data reliability may be an issue.

In the News

The new Hart Department Store opened on April 1 at the Fort Edward Mall in Windsor.  The store has filled 40 full and part-time positions with local area residents including rehiring several former SAAN store employees. Hants Journal - April 9, 2009

Frito-Lay is looking for about a dozen university students to work at its New Minas plant this summer as Packing Technicians.  Staff  - April 30, 2009

 Larsens is looking for 30 post secondary students to work in the plant this summer.  Staff - April 30, 2009

On April 1^st, representatives of The Shaw Group told about 20 GS Concrete employees in the Windsor Forks plant it would cease operations and close permanently by the end of the year. Expectations are for some operations to run until July and others until December.  Hants Journal - April 9, 2009

New Construction and Renovations at Valley Schools was recently announced as part of the new 7-year $307.3 million Nova Scotia school construction and renovation program which is considered a part of the province’s “Building for Growth” economic stimulus plan.  It includes a new P-5 school to open in 2014 in Digby/Clementsport ($9.3 million) and renovations at Aldershot Elementary ($4 million); Annapolis West Education Centre ($1.4 million); Bridgetown Regional High ($2.78 million); Evangeline Middle School ($1.3 million); Hantsport ($2.97 million); Three Mile Plains ($4.64 million); and Wolfville ($4.64 million).

Annapolis County Spectator – April 16, 2009

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