News Release Archive
ECONOMIC RENEWAL--NS WORKS-EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED ------------------------------------------------------------ The Nova Scotia government will partner with business, municipalities and non-profit organizations to create seasonal work in high unemployment areas of the province, Economic Renewal Minister Robbie Harrison announced in the Legislature today. The winter employment program will see about 625 people go to work in jobs created by the private sector, municipal governments and non-profit organizations. Under the direction of the Economic Renewal Agency, Nova Scotia Works will provide employment for 325 people in ares of high unemployment, including Victoria, Richmond, Inverness, Digby, Guysborough and Cape Breton counties. Another 300 jobs will be added by the Nova Scotia Department of Housing and Consumer Affairs. The housing jobs will be distributed province-wide, giving first priority to those six counties. "While 9,000 more people are working now as compared to this time last year, there are still areas of the province suffering from high unemployment," Mr. Harrison said. "Nova Scotia Works will give people in those areas an opportunity to get back into the workforce." The Economic Renewal Agency will provide a 50 per cent wage subsidy to employers who create job opportunities between Jan. 15 and May 4, 1996. ERA will contribute $1 million to help create all 625 jobs. The ERA funding will help lever another $1.6 million from the private sector and municipal governments. Through local employment resource centres, the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services will help employers identify potential employees, including social assistance recipients and unemployed workers who are not eligible for unemployment insurance and do not qualify for TAGS. "Our objective is to develop good prospects for long term employment during the winter months," said Mr. Harrison. "We recognize that certain areas of the province need and deserve special attention and that's why we're concentrating on the regions with the highest unemployment rates." Under the Nova Scotia Works program, jobs will be allocated based on the unemployment rate and the population of each county. The unemployment rate around the province ranges from 24.6 per cent in Victoria County to 7.9 per cent in Halifax County. The six counties participating in Nova Scotia Works all have unemployment rates over 15 per cent. Application forms for employers are available at any of the Economic Renewal Agency's Business Service Centres, Access Nova Scotia Centres, or at any Canada Employment Centre. Once the projects are selected, jobs will be posted at the local employment centres. -30- Contact: Linda Laffin 902-424-6810 trp Dec. 01, 1995