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Environmental
Design and
Management
Limited
Land Use Plan &
Re-development
Strategy
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2.1.3
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Employment Trends Within CBRM
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The economic history of the CBRM is
well known to the community and almost anyone living in Nova Scotia.
The details of the absolute and relative decline of the CBRM are
less important to this plan other than the fact they have been on-going
since shortly after 1961. However, what is not well known is the
extent to which the CBRM has successfully weathered the major economic
restructuring of the last 30 years.
Table 2.1 presents data that indicate trends in population and employment
in CBRM.
Table 2.1
Employment and Population History of the CBRM.
|
Year |
Population* |
Total Employment |
Total Change |
Steel & Coal Jobs |
Steel & Coal Change |
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1970 |
129,300 |
44,798 |
N/A |
7,590 |
N/A |
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1975 |
128,200 |
47,813 |
3,015 |
6,298 |
(1,295) |
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1980 |
127,200 |
50,835 |
3,022 |
6,859 |
561 |
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1985 |
124,400 |
48,270 |
(2,565) |
5,450 |
(1,409) |
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1990 |
120,800 |
48,551 |
281 |
3,939 |
(1,511) |
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1995 |
118,200 |
45,355 |
(3,156) |
2,858 |
(1,081) |
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2000 Estimate #^ |
110,983 |
45,405 |
80 |
2,300 |
(558) |
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1970 - 2000 |
-14.2% |
1.4% |
637 |
-69.7% |
(5,290) |
Although the population of
CBRM has declined by 14.2% since 1970, total employment has stayed
relatively flat (a 1.4% increase). However, as the column on the
far right indicates, during this same period, steel and coal industries
shed a total of 5,290 jobs.
From 1970 to 2000, all of the lost jobs in the steel
and coal industry were replaced by new jobs in other sectors. After
factoring out the steel and coal sectors, the rest of the economy
(manufacturing, telecommunications, etc.) produced a growth rate
of about 0.5% per year from 1970 to 2000.
Table 2.2 presents additional evidence that the employment situation
in CBRM has been fairly stable.
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Table 2.2 Employment
Per Capita and Employment Income in CBRM.
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Year |
Population* |
Employment per Capita& |
Income Per Employee
(2000 $) |
Total
Employment Income Millions
(2000 $) |
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1970 |
129,300 |
0.348 |
$20,985 |
$939.9 |
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1975 Estimate |
128,200 |
0.373 |
$22,930 |
$1,096.4 |
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1980 |
127,200 |
0.400 |
$24,874 |
$1,264.4 |
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1985 |
124,400 |
0.388 |
$22,758 |
$1,098.5 |
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1990 |
120,800 |
0.402 |
$24,667 |
$1,197.6 |
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1995 |
118,200 |
0.383 |
$21,474 |
$973.9 |
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2000 Estimate |
110,983 |
0.409 |
$21,648 |
$982.9 |
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1970 - 2000 |
-14.2% |
17.6% |
3.2% |
4.6% |
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By dividing the total population of
the municipality by the total number of jobs in the economy, one
can calculate the ratio of employment per capita. From 1970 to 2000,
this ratio has fluctuated from a low of 0.348 jobs per person to
a high of 0.409 in 2000.
The CBRM economy has replaced the jobs lost from the
steel and coal sectors with jobs in other sectors. The jobs lost
were high paying industrial jobs. How do the new jobs compare in
terms of purchasing power? The answer can be seen in the fourth
column of Table 2.2 - Income Per Employee (2000 $). This shows the
aver-age income per employee in CBRM adjusted for inflation. During
the 30 year period from 1970 to 2000, the average income level of
an employee in CBRM has increased marginally from $20,985 to $21,648,
although this is down from a peak of $24,874 in 1980.
The fact that the CBRM economy was able to "tread
water" while it lost almost 5,300 jobs from its traditional
economic base (steel and coal) suggests there is hope for the economic
future of the region. In our opinion, there is no reason to believe
that this underlying job generation will stop now that the last
steel and coal jobs are gone. This fact stands in contrast to many
other mining communities in Canada, where when the mines shut down
and there is no other long-term economic future.
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