The latest Labour Force Survey is available covering February 2025.
Labour Force Survey (February 2025) Highlights:
Employment in Nova Scotia dropped by 0.8% in February, losing 4,300 jobs, leading to a 0.7-percentage-point increase in the province’s unemployment rate.
- Part-time employment dropped by 5,700 jobs (-6.3%), partially offset by gains in full-time employment (+1,500, +0.3%).
- Nova Scotia’s unemployment rate rose by 0.7 percentage points to 6.6% in February.
- The employment rate dropped by 0.6 percentage point to 57.4% in February.
Changes in employment varied among demographic groups and regions.
- Both men’s and women’s employment contracted over the past month. However, men gained 2,200 full-time jobs while women lost 700.
- All three main age groups experienced job losses in the last month with youth (15 to 24 years) seeing the largest decline.
- In February 2025 (three-month average from December 2024 to February 2025) compared to January 2025 (November 2024 to January 2025), Southern and Halifax regions reported small job gains of 500 jobs & 300 jobs each. The rest three regions experienced job loss, led by North Shore (-1,300 jobs, -1.8%).
Changes in employment levels by industry were mixed.
- Over the past month, employment in the goods-producing sector declined by 1.0%, while the service-producing sector saw a 0.8% decline.
- In the last month, the top expanding industry was “construction” (+2,600 jobs, +6.0%). The top contracting industry was “agriculture” (-1,700 jobs, -35.4%).
- Compared to twelve months ago (February 2024), employment gains were largest in the “construction” (+6,600 jobs, +16.8%). This was followed by “accommodation and food services” (+3,600 jobs, +10.8%) & “health care and social assistance” (+3,100 jobs, +3.8%).
- Employment declines compared to twelve months ago were largest in the “other services (except public administration)” (-4,500 jobs, -8.4%), “wholesale and retail trade” (-3,300 jobs, -3.9%), and “manufacturing” (-3,100 jobs, -19.5%).