CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Nova Scotia - Growing concern for a shrinking skilled labour force

Monday, 12 June 2006

A new Report Card published by NovaKnowledge, indicates that Nova Scotia’s workforce, which is aging and shrinking to such a point that the province will run out of labour to meet demand by 2016 if nothing is done.

A new Report Card published by NovaKnowledge, indicates that Nova Scotia’s workforce, which is aging and shrinking to such a point that the province will run out of labour to meet demand by 2016 if nothing is done, according to retired Dalhousie University professor James McNiven, who took part in a summit panel. NovaKnowledge is a non-profit organization that promotes the development of a sustainable knowledge-based economy in the province.

"Nova Scotia’s workforce actually declined last year by 1,725 participants," said Jeff Somerville, a director of Grant Thornton LLP and chairman of this year’s report card committee. "Our birth rate continues to decline, and the gap between the number of workers and retirees is closing."

"We are going to simply have to pay people more to keep them here; we’re going to have to train them more to keep them up to date; we’re going to have to bring in innovation; and we’re going to have to try and keep people in the workforce longer by doing the ongoing training," Mr. Outhit one of the panel members indicated.