Unemployment is at a five year low in Truro, NS.
The town’s Chief Administrative Officer, Mike Dolter says the area has seen a lot of change over the years. He says it came in stages.
“Rather than any one single major change there has been a lot of incremental changes as business are doing well and continue to expand,” says Dolter.
Statistic Canada’s Labour force survey estimates that unemployment has fallen by 28 per cent over five years. The numbers are calculated based on 2011 Census boundaries.
The survey estimates that unemployment has dropped in New Glasgow (15 per cent) and Cape Breton (three per cent) over the five-year period between 2011 and 2015.
2011 National Household Survey
Truro’s unemployment rate is now below the provincial rate.
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, that wasn’t always the case. The national survey place Truro’s unemployment rate at almost 13 per cent, while Statistics Canada recorded the provincial rate at 9.6 per cent.
Nova Scotia’s Unemployment Rate
Source: 2011 National Household Survey
Growth
“We’ve seen an expansion of our industrial park, and we’ve seen a number of business locate there,” says Dolter.
He says there’s also been a number of new businesses move within the town area itself, particularly in Robie St., an area of town that has “developed significantly.”
“Some of this is in the retail sector, but we’ve also seen some higher level technical positions open up as well.”
“Our major employers have been hiring lately as well, within the last couple of years. So, again, they’ve been expanding,” says Dolter.
He points to Scotsburn as an example, and says the operation is doing “well.”
Dolter says the company brought jobs to Truro, after it moved its headquarters to the area in 2014.
Growth isn’t common in rural and small town Nova Scotia, even though over 40 per cent of the province’s population lives there.
Rural Report
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 43 per cent of Nova Scotia’s population lives in a rural area.
The 2015 State of Rural Canada Report mapped the population change in the province over the four year period. The map shows that Halifax and Hants are the only two counties in Nova Scotia that had a population growth.
The report found that the further away an area was from the ‘capital region,’ the ‘greater the population loss’ in the province between 2010 and 2014.
“Ongoing Effort” in Truro
Dolter says the challenge is real, but location has helped Truro.
“Being close to Halifax, we’ve seen that some of our businesses are doing business in Halifax, but staying in Truro to conduct that, which has certainly been an advantage,” says Dolter.
He says planning is “an ongoing effort” to make sure the area’s “ready for business and that we’ve set the right conditions for business to come into the town and employ people.”
“We have a continued plan to work with the county and chamber of commerce and looking at ways to improve,” he says.
Dolter says part of the plan has been hiring economic development staff to “attract” and “welcome business” to the region.
“Being prepared, we’ve tried to ensure that the land is ready for business and they are ready to move in,” he says.