News Release

FREDERICTON (GNB) – The‎ provincial government is organizing a series of job fairs across the province and across Canada in the coming months to recruit new workers to fill job vacancies.

“Creating jobs and growing our economy is our focus as your government,” said Premier Brian Gallant. “We have thousands of New Brunswickers and many more Canadians who are looking for work, and thousands of positions waiting to be filled. We are actioning a multi-faceted approach to grow our labour force and fill these jobs.”

Statistics Canada recently reported that the province’s unemployment rate has fallen to 6.5 per cent, the lowest on record, and the labour force has declined to 377,100, the lowest estimate since 2003. Meanwhile, there are 3,200 jobs posted on nbjobs.ca, where employers are looking to fill positions across the province.

“These job fairs will help New Brunswickers and Canadians discover employment opportunities across our province and will boost our labour force,” said Labour, Employment and Population Growth Minister Gilles LePage.

The job fairs will highlight the province’s employment opportunities and will be organized as follows:

• A number of job fairs will be held across the province this fall to make potential workers aware of opportunities in their own region and around the province.

• A series of job fairs and alumni events across Canada will be organized this fall in cities where it is known there are many former New Brunswickers and Atlantic Canadians working, and in regions with high unemployment rates.

In addition, the provincial government is issuing a call to action to New Brunswickers to spread the word within and outside of the province about the thousands of job opportunities that exist here which complement the top-rated quality of life and low cost of real estate.

The government encourages New‎ Brunswickers who are unemployed or underemployed to contact an employment counsellor for assistance, free of charge. These counsellors can provide training or advice to help applicants get a job. The government has also taken steps to remove barriers and make post-secondary education more affordable. The Free Tuition Program is a provincial bursary available to students from families with incomes of $60,000 or less and provides full tuition to qualifying students, with funding available throughout the duration of their program. Tuition Relief for the Middle Class provides support to students based on a sliding scale linked to income level and family size. Students under the Tuition Relief for the Middle Class bursary program will receive varying amounts of financial support. The government offers a variety of additional student financial assistance programs that complement the Free Tuition Program and the Tuition Relief for the Middle Class program.

“Your government is committed to helping connect New Brunswickers with available jobs that will enable them to continue to work and live in New Brunswick,” said LePage. “There are New Brunswickers working across the country who would like to come home. There are also many New Brunswickers looking for work. If everyone shared the information about the job fairs with someone they know who is working away, or is looking for work in the province, or share it on social media, we will not only increase the success of these job fairs but will be able to help our families, friends and neighbours find employment.”

New Brunswick's economy has experienced many positive trends in recent years. In 2016, real GDP growth reached 1.4 per cent. The growth in 2016 exceeded the national rate and surpassed the projected growth rate for the year. In addition, average weekly earnings were up by 2.3 per cent in 2016 – compared to growth of 2.8 per cent in 2015 – and above the national figure of 0.4 per cent. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island tied for the highest growth in average weekly earnings nationwide in 2016.

“New Brunswick’s economy is growing and is the strongest it has been in a decade,” said Economic Development Minister Francine Landry, who is also minister responsible for Opportunities NB. “It is your government’s hope that these job fairs will bring more attention to the exciting prospects here in the province, and will give potential employees a platform on which to further their careers.”