Current Situation
n 2019, the youth unemployment rate in Nova Scotia was 13.2 per cent compared to 11.0 percent nationally. This was down from a rate of 18.6 per cent in Nova Scotia in 2012. The Nova Scotian rate fell more than the Canadian rate in 2019, thus the gap declined this year to 2.2 percentage points. The gap between Nova Scotian and Canadian rates had been narrowing in recent years, reaching a low of 1.8 percentage points in 2016. Recent trends suggest that the gap is in track to close by 2024.
| Year | Canada (target) | Nova Scotia |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 12.4 | 16.3 |
| 1977 | 13.8 | 16.8 |
| 1978 | 14 | 17.4 |
| 1979 | 12.7 | 18 |
| 1980 | 12.8 | 16.3 |
| 1981 | 12.8 | 16.7 |
| 1982 | 18.2 | 21.7 |
| 1983 | 19.2 | 21.8 |
| 1984 | 17.4 | 20.9 |
| 1985 | 15.8 | 21.4 |
| 1986 | 14.7 | 20.5 |
| 1987 | 13.2 | 18.3 |
| 1988 | 11.5 | 15.6 |
| 1989 | 10.9 | 15 |
| 1990 | 12.3 | 15.5 |
| 1991 | 15.8 | 19.5 |
| 1992 | 17.2 | 20.2 |
| 1993 | 17.2 | 21.5 |
| 1994 | 15.9 | 22.1 |
| 1995 | 14.8 | 19 |
| 1996 | 15.4 | 17.7 |
| 1997 | 16.3 | 20.6 |
| 1998 | 15.1 | 19 |
| 1999 | 14.1 | 18.2 |
| 2000 | 12.7 | 15.8 |
| 2001 | 12.9 | 17.6 |
| 2002 | 13.6 | 17.9 |
| 2003 | 13.6 | 15.7 |
| 2004 | 13.4 | 15.1 |
| 2005 | 12.4 | 15 |
| 2006 | 11.7 | 13.8 |
| 2007 | 11.2 | 13 |
| 2008 | 11.6 | 13.5 |
| 2009 | 15.4 | 17.6 |
| 2010 | 14.9 | 16.3 |
| 2011 | 14.3 | 16.7 |
| 2012 | 14.4 | 18.6 |
| 2013 | 13.7 | 18.3 |
| 2014 | 13.5 | 17.8 |
| 2015 | 13.2 | 15.3 |
| 2016 | 13.1 | 14.9 |
| 2017 | 11.6 | 16.8 |
| 2018 | 11.1 | 15.6 |
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What This Means
This indicator measures the percentage of people between the ages of 15 and 24 who are looking for work that are not able to find employment. The declining rate means that a smaller share of people in that age group that are looking for work could not find it.
Deep Dive
Read more detailed information about this goal by clicking 'Deep Dive'