Current Situation
In 2020, the youth unemployment rate in Nova Scotia was 17.2 per cent compared to 20.1 percent nationally. This was down from a rate of 18.2 per cent in Nova Scotia in 2012. The Nova Scotia youth unemployment rate rose less than the Canadian rate in 2020 because of COVID-19, making the gap negative for the first time at -2.9 percentage points. The gap between Nova Scotian and Canadian rates had been narrowing in recent years, reaching a low of 1.7 percentage points in 2016. As 2020 was an unprecedented year, Nova Scotia's youth unemployment rate did surpass the target level, but achievement of this target depends on changes to youth unemployment rates as the economy normalizes after COVID-19.
| 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 | 11.4 | 13.6 |
| 2007 | 10.9 | 12.8 |
| 2008 | 11.4 | 13.4 |
| 2009 | 15 | 17.1 |
| 2010 | 14.6 | 15.9 |
| 2011 | 13.9 | 16.6 |
| 2012 | 14.1 | 18.2 |
| 2013 | 13.5 | 17.7 |
| 2014 | 13.2 | 17.5 |
| 2015 | 12.9 | 15.1 |
| 2016 | 12.8 | 14.5 |
| 2017 | 11.4 | 16.6 |
| 2018 | 10.9 | 15.6 |
| 2019 | 11 | 13.3 |
| 2020 | 20.1 | 17.2 |
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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'