Local Employment Potential Information

Table on the employment potential for Testers and Graders, Food and Beverage Processing in Prince Edward Island as well as in the rest of the Prince Edward Island.

Location	Employment Potential	Release Date
Prince Edward Island		2012-03-06

Employment prospects for testers and graders, food and beverage processing are expected to be fair in 2012-2013.

Employment prospects in this industry are largely influenced by economic conditions. Processing companies that rely on exporting their goods to the US market have been negatively affected by the high value of the Canadian dollar. This has slowed employment growth. However, there may be some opportunities on smaller operations during the fall processing time.

Employment opportunities for this occupation may not be as readily available as those which have a good outlook. However, a fair outlook should not prevent anyone from pursuing a specific career in which they are interested.

Local Labour Market News

Week of Apr 29 – May 03, 2013

• The Atlantic Workforce Partnership created by the Council of Atlantic Premiers will align training and hours require to attain certification in apprenticeable trades throughout Atlantic Canada

Week of Apr 22 – Apr 26, 2013

• Stanhope beach resort was destroyed by fire. The resort owners are assisting the approximately 100 employees to find other employment with their other properties or within the tourism sector on PEI.
• A new Tim Horton's in Souris will employ 30 full-time and part-time staff
• CONTAX, a business software IT company, has expanded into Charlottetown and plans to employ up to 37 people over the next five years

Week of Apr 15 – Apr 19, 2013

• Funding cuts and cost increases at the English Language School Board may mean as many as 50 teaching jobs being cut for the 2013-2014 school year. Some of the job cuts may be through attrition as at least 25 teachers will be retiring by June.
• Fish plant workers are reporting finding other work in the area after the Mariner Seafood plant announced last week it would not be re-opening next month
• The Mount Saint Mary's building in Charlottetown was sold to the JTM Group who will begin rennovations to turn it into a home for seniors living independently or requiring community or nursing care. The facility will be open later this year.
• The Provincial Governement will contribute $6.6M for 2014 celebrations on PEI as well as $2.8M for rennovations to the Homburg Theatre in the Confederation Centre
• 75 cruise ships are scheduled to visit Charlottetown Harbour this summer, this compares to 51 ships in 2012. The cruises visit Charlottetown from May to October and contribute approximately $13.4M to the PEI economy annually.
• The Grand Slam of Curling will be hosted in Summerside in 2014. The event was last held on Summerside in 2012 and generated $1.8M in revenue for the city.

Week of Apr 08 – Apr 12, 2013

• The Government of Canada and the provincial government have announced funding for infrastructure improvements to the Jacques Cartier Memorial Arena in Alberton
• The Government of Canada and the provincial government have announced funding for infrastructure improvements to the ball fields in O'Leary in order for the community to host Softball Canada’s under-16 national girls fast pitch tournament in August 2013
• Funding has been cut for the Atlantic Veterinary College's diagnostic lab. The $340,000 cut amounts to around 13% of the lab's budget.
• Mariner Seafoods, a fish plant in Montague, will not re-open this Spring. In the past, the plant had employed up to 200 people. Provincial officials and representatives from other organizations have offered to meet with those affected by the closure.
• A new general surgeon will be hired to work out of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlotteown. This increases the current complement of surgeons on PEI, resulting in an increased number of surgeries to be performed.
• The family medicine sponsorship program is accepting applications for their program which offers up to $110,000 over four years to medical students who commit to practice medicine on PEI for five years after their training