A decrease in Prince Edward Island’s unemployment rate in August, coupled with hundreds of jobs available today in the province, are reasons for optimism as the provincial government steps up its efforts to help match businesses with Islanders looking for employment.
“Employers are telling me that it is becoming more difficult to recruit and retain workers, while at the same time we know there are Islanders seeking employment,” said Workforce and Advanced Learning Minister Brown. “We are working with employers and job seekers to understand where the barriers are to people needing work and to tear those barriers down.”
Numbers from Statistics Canada today show a decrease in the unemployment rate of 0.7 per cent in August from July. The rate increased 1.4 per cent in August 2015 compared to August 2014. Economic areas with particular growth year-to-date are manufacturing, while job reductions were seen in construction.
Minister Brown said today there are 546 jobs in the province listed on the job bank that need to be filled. These range from professional positions to entry-level service jobs. Not all job vacancies would be posted on the job bank. Similarly, recent numbers from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimated that there were 1,000 private sector job vacancies in the province.
The minister said one of the major priorities of the new Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning is to provide programs to help Islanders improve their skills and gain employment. Government is analyzing both the labour market and the results of current programs in order to foster jobs and skills that will lead to more prosperity for the Island as a whole. These include programs offered through Skills PEI, apprenticeship programs and academic upgrading.
Minister Brown said the provincial economy remains strong. Exports for the first seven months of 2015 are up by 16.6 per cent over the previous year. Labour income continues to rise. In the first five months of this year, it rose by 3.8 per cent, the largest increase in Canada. The minimum wage has risen from $6.80 an hour in 2005 to $10.50, an increase higher than the rate of inflation.
“We need to better understand how these positive trends can be better reflected in the growth of jobs,” said Minister Brown. “That is why the department has been created as government has been clear that it wants to work strategically on programs and services that allow Islanders and those wanting to move to our province to find careers and business opportunities on Prince Edward Island.”