Eric Johnson hasn’t had any luck finding a job since moving here from Campbellton.
“I was in Fredericton for the whole summer without any luck of finding a job,” said the second-year St. Thomas student.
“I looked at all of the bigger places like Walmart, Zellers, Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Kent, a few different pizza places and all with the same result – nothing.”
For young people like Johnson, New Brunswick’s unemployment rate of 11.6 per cent – the highest since 2003 – isn’t a big surprise. But when coupled with the province’s $358 million deficit, it’s downright scary.
“It’s definitely upsetting for all the people who don’t want to live far away from their families,” said Johnson. “But the harsh reality is if there are no jobs to be found, then a lot of us will have no choice but to find work elsewhere.”
David Murrell, a University of New Brunswick economics professor, says the province has a long-standing history of the young and the educated migrating out of the province for jobs. Even when it comes to retail jobs, you’re often faced with 30-hour work weeks, instead of 40.
But more young people are taking longer to secure their first professional job, something Murrell calls a landmark in every young person’s life.
“The two areas I’d concentrate on are the following. The first area is to educate the young and improve education standards from kindergarten up.”
The other area would be to invite capital and investors into the province. He suggests opening up the province to business by eliminating corporate income tax, something he understands as a radical idea.
Murrell believes one of New Brunswick’s challenges is a lack of exports because the more exports, the more jobs.
“What happens in New Brunswick is that its main principle exports are in what one could consider as slow-growth industries… so they’re not going to be creating new jobs as opposed to some rise industries which are job creating industries.”
The big industries New Brunswick prides itself on are declining, and the provincial government should look at different technology and manufacturing exports, he says.
New Brunswick’s top three industries used to be paper products, potatoes, and shipbuilding. With the decline of newspapers and the increase of technology, the need for paper products has diminished. Potatoes are no longer seen as the primary vegetable, affecting potato farmers in northern New Brunswick, where unemployment is one of the highest in the province. And the shipbuilding industry has moved on to Nova Scotia.
Murrell says schools need to focus more on science, engineering, and social studies, instead of the “softer” subjects. His first love was journalism, his second love was music, and his third choice was economics. He also stresses the importance of developing a strong work ethic and engaging in co-op programs.
“Young people have to become more aggressive at job searches,”Murrell said.
In regards to New Brunswick’s rising unemployment rate, Finance Minister Blaine Higgs said the provincial government is using the economic development action plan “Growing Together” to increase jobs.
“Rebuilding our province’s finances and economy remain key priorities of our government. We must all work together to meet our budget objectives and to grow our economy. Our government is working very hard at diversifying New Brunswick’s economy by actively recruiting new businesses to the province and ensuring that our citizens are properly trained to meet the future demand,” Higgs said.
