Nova Scotia employment centres facing funding cuts of up to 15 per cent

The Nova Scotia government has instructed in-person employment centres across the province to brace for funding cuts of between eight and 15 per cent beginning next month, and it's unclear what impact those cuts will have on service delivery and jobs.

Nova Scotia Works provides services to people looking for jobs, and employers trying to find workers, through a network of in-person and online options. There are more than 50 employment centres in the group's network.

People looking for work can get help creating a resume and cover letter, preparing for a job interview and exploring jobs they might be interested in. Employers, meanwhile, can advertise job postings.

"Nova Scotia Works centres provide a valuable service to Nova Scotian workers and employers," Monica MacLean, a spokesperson for the province's Labour, Skills and Immigration Department said in an email.

Cuts discussed since last February

MacLean said the province relies on funding from the federal government for the centres and that funding has declined in recent years due to "labour market conditions and more people using online services."

The department "has been in contact with Nova Scotia Works service providers since February about the need for cost reductions for in-person centres" in the range of eight to 15 per cent, beginning Jan. 1, said MacLean.

The government's statement provided no details about the dollar value of the cuts or how they might affect service availability or job numbers at the employment centres.

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said Nova Scotia is facing an unprecedented demand for skilled trades workers and Nova Scotia Works helps connect people with those jobs.

"We can't afford to have a single worker right now out of the labour market," Churchill said in an interview.

"These are serious cuts that impact connecting skilled workers with jobs."

Given the massive need for housing construction in the province, Churchill said the provincial government needs to fill whatever funding shortfall might exist for the program.

People are "literally dying in the street" because there is not enough available affordable housing, he said.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said the Tories owe the public and people who use the services of Nova Scotia Works more information and transparency about the situation.

"We're talking about growing the economy and growing the population, but on the ground people are having a harder and harder time," she said in an interview.

Chender said that the majority of the in-person centres serve rural communities. And while it's true that more and more services are moving online, she noted that many parts of rural Nova Scotia continue to struggle with internet connectivity.

In the absence of further information, Chender said attributing the funding shortfall and corresponding cuts to the federal government seems like an attempt by the province to deflect blame.

"The provincial government will never say something is funded by the federal government if it's a shiny new announcement they're making, although that's often the case."

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