NB 1412
Nov. 2, 2007
FREDERICTON (CNB) - There were close to 11,000 more New Brunswickers working than last October, and this contributed to a significant drop in the unemployment rate which fell to 7.6 per cent last month.
Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty reported today on provincial highlights of the Statistics Canada monthly labour force survey for October.
"I am very pleased with this positive trend that sees more New Brunswickers working as we compare the monthly statistics to the previous year, but our government realizes we must continue to work even harder to improve these figures as we move forward," Doherty said. "As I have said many times, we committed to a long-term plan to build a skilled workforce by growing our population and by providing the training opportunities necessary for our people to be successful."
Figures released by Statistics Canada show that the monthly unemployment rate stood at 7.6 per cent last month, which was down from last October when it was 8.1 per cent and also down from last month when it was 8.2 per cent. There were also 363,800 New Brunswickers employed in October, which was up by 10,800 from the same time last year. The labour force, which measures those working or actively seeking work, also grew in the province last month compared to the same time last year to stand at 393,600. This was up by 9,500 from last October, when there were 384,100 people in the labour force.
"We are working on many fronts to help improve the employment opportunities for New Brunswickers through several initiatives," Doherty said. "We will continue to work closely with our stakeholders and industry leaders to determine their employment needs and to adjust our training to meet those needs. Our goal is to build upon our skilled labour force, continue to make economic development a priority, and strengthen our efforts to diversify our economy in order to move our province further down the road to self-sufficiency by 2026."
Employment growth in October was strongest in these three areas on a year-over-year basis: the utilities sector; the forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas sector; and the information, culture and recreation sector.
07/11/02
MEDIA CONTACT: Shawn Hearn, communications, Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, 506-453-2568.
07/11/02