Age
In 2023 employment continued to grow for all age groups except for older workers
- Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Nova Scotia’s employment levels were relatively stable since 2011. From 2011 to 2019, trends in employment levels by age group were mainly driven by demographics.
- The economic shock from the arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 caused employment to drop by 4.6% compared to the year before.
- The level of employment recovered the following year, gaining 5.6% in 2021. That trend continued in 2022 with a 3.6% increase, or 16,800 more jobs compared to 2021.
- Employment growth continued in 2023, gaining 12,900 jobs more than in 2022, which is a 2.7% increase.
- Young workers, aged 15 to 24, had the largest drop in employment in 2020, about 10.4% but rebounded the most in 2021 with an 8.0% gain.
- This continued in 2022 with young workers employment increase of 3.4%, which is about 2,200 workers.
- In 2023 employment among young workers also increased, but not by as much. They had just 200 more jobs than in 2022, which is only a 0.3% increase.
- Core aged workers, aged 25 to 54, had a decline in employment in 2020, about 2.8%, but gained by 3.8% in 2021.
- Employment growth continued in 2022 with a 3.7% increase, which is about 10,800 employees in this age group.
- In 2023 employment growth outpaced 2022 growth, with 14,500 jobs, which is a 2.5% increase over 2022.
- Employment among older workers, aged 55 and older, fell 5.6% in 2020.
- By 2021 employment grew by 9.1%, and again by 3.2% in 2022, or around 3,700 employees.
- However, in 2023 older workers lost 1,900 jobs , which is a 1.6% decrease compared to 2022.
In the 10 years since 2013, older workers have seen a larger gain in employment compared to younger and core aged workers. Older workers employment is 9.3% higher than in 2013, while younger workers has only grown 5.4% and core aged by 6.8% since 2013.
Calculations and indexing based on Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0327-01 Labour Force Characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual.
Gender
Gender is spread out differently across sectors and types of work
In 2023, there were almost the same number of females working in Nova Scotia (247,100) as there were males (250,600).
But when it comes to the industries where they work:
- The service-producing sector employed more females, about 57%.
- The goods-producing sector employed more males, about 82%.
In 2023, there were also difference between male and female participation in part-time and full-time work.
- More males, about 87%, were employed in full-time jobs, while for females it was about 78%.
- Compared to 2022, male full-time employment was up 1.4% (around 2,900 jobs), and female full-time employment went up by 2.5% (around 4,600 jobs).
- More females, about 22%, worked part-time jobs, compared to around 13% of males.
- Compared to 2022, male part-time employment was up by 10.6% (around 3,200 jobs), and female part-time employment went up by 4.2% (around 2,200 jobs).
Calculations based on Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0023-01 (formerly CANSIM 282-0008) Labour Force Characteristics by industry, annual
Sector and Work Activity
Employment in service-sector grew, unlike in goods-producing sector
Employment grew in 2023, about 12,900 more jobs than in 2022, or 2.7%. This is 2.9 percentage points less than between 2020 and 2021.
- Employment in service-producing sector:
- Grew 4.5%, gaining 17,400 more jobs compared to 2022.
- Both males and females saw employment gains, with males gaining 5.8% more (about 9,700 jobs), while females gained 3.5% more (about 7,800 jobs).
- Male employment in this sector grew 5.8%, (or 9,700 jobs), while female employment grew by 3.5% (or 7,800 jobs).
- Employment in goods-producing sector:
- Decreased by 4.8%, losing 4,600 jobs compared to 2022.
- Both males and females saw employment decline in this sector, with males losing 4.5% (about 3,500 jobs) and females losing 6.1% (about 1,100 jobs).
- In general, in 2023 most jobs were full-time, making up about 82% of all jobs, while part-time jobs were about 18% of all jobs in Nova Scotia. This is lower than it was 10 years ago when part-time jobs were 10 percentage points higher.
- Voluntary vs. Involuntary Part-time employment in all industries:
- Involuntary part-time workers decreased by 200 in 2023, or 1.3%.
- Voluntary part-work workers increased by 5,700 jobs in 2023, or 8.4%.
Note: Part-time employment can either be voluntary or involuntary. Someone may be voluntarily employed part-time because they are in school or have other reasons or personal preferences. Involuntary part-time is a result of being employed part-time due to business conditions or not being able to find work that offers full-time hours.
Calculations based on Statistics Canada Table: 14-10-0029-01 Part-time employment by reason, annual (x 1,000)