Provincial Employment Potential Information

The following table identifies employment conditions within New Brunswick.

Labour Market Bulletins

An analysis of the local labour market and an assessment of local employment-related events.

• April 2013 | (PDF, 266 KB)
• March 2013 | (PDF, 233 KB)
• February 2013 | (PDF, 234 KB)
• January 2013 | (PDF, 280 KB)
• Annual Edition 2012 | (PDF, 630 KB)

Provincial / Territorial Labour Market News

Week of May 06 – May 10, 2013

• The $39 million expansion of the Kingswood Golf Resort outside Frederiction has received planning approval. Work is expected to begin on a hotel component in June. The expansion also includes an indoor water park and a residential development.
• A first contract to build a 45-foot boat at the new Bas-Caraquet shipyard was announced recently at a meeting of the two communities of Bas-Caraquet and Caraquet. The two communities are shareholders of the shipyard. The boat will be built by Construction navale Atlantique this summer, and is expected to create 5 to 6 jobs. Paul Lanteigne, president of Construction navale Atlantique expects that another contract for the construction of a similar vessel will follow.
• The Belledune lead smelter has been acquired by Glencore Xstrata. The smelter has diversified its customer base in the past few years thus mitigating the impact of the recent closure of Brunswick Mine, its main customer. The restructuring is not expected to affect the 350 jobs currently existing at the smelter although some efforts to reduce bureaucratic duplication may eventually affect some administratives positions.
• A Starbucks coffee shop will be established in the former CIBC bank building on the corner of Main and Church streets in Moncton. The real estate company Le Groupe immobilier DuParc associated with Foulem construction has acquired the building where the Starbucks franchise will open this summer and has already started renovation work on the location.
• The government of New Brunswick has awarded $ 203,000.00 for renovations to the Musée historique du Madawaska. Minister Madeleine Dubé announced the government contribution which will be used to repair the roof of the museum.
• The Minister of Energy and Mines announced that Trevali Mining Corporation was given approval to operate its Caribou Mine located near Bathurst. It is expected to result in several hundred new jobs for the region. Trevali has begun hiring technical personnel and placing orders for components of the mill.
• The Miramichi Lumber Products Inc. mill reopened this week. Twenty-five workers were hired initially. The workforce is anticipated to double to 55 by next week. An additional 40 workers are expected to be hired in the woodlands operations within two weeks. The mill temporarily closed down last year because of poor market conditions. The company stated that it is committed to hiring more than 100 local workers within the next few weeks.
• A new radio station 95.9 Sun FM began operation in Miramichi on Monday May 6, employing 12 people
• The Miramichi Regional Hospital will cut 6 positions as part of the cost saving measures announced by the Horizon Health Network. Staff were notified on Friday May 3rd.

Week of Apr 29 – May 03, 2013

• A recovery plan proposal submitted by Les Pêcheries G.E.M. Ltée was accepted by its creditors at a meeting held in Bathurst on April 29. The fish processing company had been placed under bankruptcy protection in Nov. 2012. The company has also recently negotiated a contract with L.A. Trading of Caraquet to supply lobster and is currently processing sea cucumbers, lobster and herring under a contract with Marubeni Corporation, providing work to 160 workers at the plant.
• According to the Archbishop of Moncton, Monsignor Valéry Vienneau, the archdiocese will sell its diocesan centre in Dieppe because of budgetary constraints. This will result in the sale of the building and land and in the reduction of its personnel. Of the 19 existing positions 5 will be eliminated. The archdiocese will retain 5 full-time and 9 part-time positions, which will be transferred to other locations within the archdiocese.
• The Marché de poisson Lanteigne in Baie-du-Petit-Pokemouche was destroyed by fire on Wednesday May 1. The plant had recently reduced its operation. In April, the company announced it would not be processing lobster this Spring. Subsequently, many of the workers have found employment with other fish processing plants within the Acadian Peninsula. At its peak of operation, the plant employed 80 workers. It has not been determined if the owner will rebuild.
• The provincial government has announced that it will close the Agriculture Laboratory Service in Fredericton. The agricultural laboratory which provides soil testing for New Brunswick farmers will close on June 28. The laboratory has been in operations for 80 years and is located on the grounds of the experimental farm in Lincoln.
• The Milltown Elementary School near St. Stephen is holding a Job and Community Fair with the focus on helping families of their students. Major employers of Charlotte county such as Ganong Bros. Ltd., Cooke Aquaculture Inc., and Connors Bros. Ltd. will attend. Local service agencies focused on helping unemployed people overcome barriers to employment will also be present. The event will be held in the school gymnasium on May 16 from 2:00 to 7:00 pm.

Week of Apr 22 – Apr 26, 2013

• The provincial and federal governments announced funding in the amount of $775,000 for Heveco, a company that harvests peat moss in Tabusintac NB. The funding will primarily be used to purchase new equipment to improve productivity at the operation.
• Bluedrop Performance Learning Inc., a company offering workplace-based training, plans on creating 22 new jobs at its centre of excellence in Miramichi. Bluedrop currently employs approximately 55 persons.
• MQM Quality Manufacturing of Tracadie-Sheila specializing in steel construction has received $400,000 from the provinces' Northern NB Economic Dev. And Innovation Fund, and a $500,000 interest-free loan from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). The money will be used to purchase a new machine for cutting steel. The expanded production is expected to create 10 additional jobs. According to its president, the company has created 20 new jobs in the last year.
• A new eight-story building comprising of 78 units, including condos, apartments and commercial space, is to be constructed on the corner of Wesley, Queen and Lester streets in downtown Moncton. Construction is expected to start this Fall, with completion estimated within 18 months.
• A dyslexia support group plans to open a Help Centre in Dieppe this Fall employing five specialists in learning disorders. The Association sud-est Dyslexie-Action is planning to finance their project by launching a fundraising campaign to raise $200,000 to open the Centre.
• The mayor of Dieppe and the minister of Transportation and Infrastructure announced the creation of a partnership to invest $1.5M to improve Dieppe Boulevard and Acadie Avenue. The provincial government will invest $550,000 for Dieppe Boulevard and $200,000 for repaving Acadie Avenue in the Chartersville marsh area. This is the first phase of a two-year $2.25M project to improve these two main roads. The work will begin this summer.
• Saint-Léonard will renovate their municipal garage at a cost of $400,000. The condemned portion of the existing garage will be demolished and a new section constructed to replace it. The municipality expects to have the construction completed by this Fall.
• The town of Tracadie-Sheila is expected to lose laundry services at their local hospital, leading to a loss of 10 jobs. The provincial government announced that it was consolidating these services and is transferring the hospital's laundry services to the Campbellton hospital. The municipal council of Tracadie-Sheila is sending a letter to the minister Claude Landry to voice their concerns about this decision.
• A new apprentice program has begun in southern New Brunswick. The program enables high school students interested in the trades to begin their career training by taking part in paid summer work terms. As part of the program the students will also be able to take trade courses as electives during the school term.
• The New Brunswick government announced that it will increase welfare rates by four percent in October 2013 and a further three percent in April 2014. In addition the government has revised their wage exemption policy, allowing welfare recipients to retain more of their earnings should they become employed.
• A job fair will be held in Fredericton on April 30th at the Delta Hotel for job seekers interested in working in Western Canada. Seven companies will be represented at the fair.
• The Department of Fisheries and Oceans will allow lobster fishermen in Northern New Brunswick to begin the season a day early on Monday April 29th. This applies to Lobster Fishing Area 23, which covers the area from Campbellton to Escuminac.

Week of Apr 15 – Apr 19, 2013

• The snow crab fishing quota for the Acadian Pensinsula (Zone 12) has increased by 22% for 2013 and now stands tentatively at 22,220 tons. Last year the Ichiboshi plant provided approximately 450 workers with 7 to 8 weeks employment to process the snow crab.
• The Shediac Lobster Shop, a lobster processing and retail outlet, is undertaking renovations to their Shediac Main Street location. The business employs about 200 workers and will open their newly renovated location on May 29.
• The Atlantic Provinces Economic Council has released its annual outlook. It reported that the Maritime economy has remained weak since the recession. However, one exception was the City of Moncton which has resisted this trend with continued growth.
• According to Statistics Canada, New Brunswick has experienced the largest decline in building permits among the 10 provinces. Most of the losses were in the residential sector.
• According to a building activity report released by the City of Fredericton development committee, overall construction activity in the first quarter of this year increased to $17.6M compared to $16.9M during the same period last year. It was also reported to be the highest first quarter construction value since 2008.
• Statistics Canada reported that New Brunswick manufacturing sales increased by 18% to $1.9M in February. The increase was driven by sales of non-durable goods. It is believed that improving economic conditions in the United States is partly responsible for the increase in sales.
• The Port of Saint John experienced a year-over-year increase in tonnage in the first quarter of 2013. Potash, forest products and container tonnage account for the bulk of the increase.
• The St. Louis Bar and Grill located at 1405 Mountain Road in Moncton opened April 10th
• A Second Cup coffee shop will open in the uptown area of Saint John at 14 King Street later in May. Twelve to 15 employees are expected to be hired.
• Millennium Marine, a boat building firm in Miramichi has decided to expand operations to Eastport, Maine due partly to a shortage of skilled workers in the Miramichi area. The expansion is expected to create 50 year-round, full-time positions in the Eastport area. Boat hulls and fibreglass components will be manufactured in Maine and shipped back to New Brunswick to be finished.
• The Minister of Health for the province of New Brunswick announced that roughly 400 jobs in the health-care system would be eliminated in the next year in an attempt to control spending. Horizon Health Network will cut 131 positions this fiscal year. 57 jobs will be cut at Facilicorp and 40 positions will be eliminated at the Department of Health itself. More job cuts are expected to be announced later this year.
• The New Brunswick government has signed a collective agreement with the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees. Workers wages will be frozen for two years, followed by a one percent increase every six months for the following two years. The agreement impacts about 270 employees.
• Shannex Inc. has received final approval to proceed with the construction of an 80-unit luxury retirement complex at 35 Patience Lane in Fredericton
• The New Brunswick government has announced that the Grand Manan provincial park will be closed. Two full-time staff have been layed off and, including seasonal workers, up to 10 workers will be affected.