Dependence on Interprovincial Migrant Labour in Atlantic Canadian Communities: The Role of the Alberta Economy

Abstract

(1) Background: In the face of persistent and chronically weak labour markets, Atlantic Canada has become increasingly dependent on mobile oil work in Northern Alberta for employment and income. In the regions, most intensely engaged in this form of employment, mobile oil work has largely replaced the dominant industries of the previous century. This geographic shift in Canadian investment and production has created uneven labour markets, with high demand for labour in the Northern Alberta and high unemployment in de-industrialized communities in Atlantic Canada. (2) Methods: There is little quantitative evidence on the flows of mobile workers from the East to the West and the impact of this movement on the Atlantic Canadian economy. Data for this paper were obtained through a special arrangement with Statistics Canada in the fall of 2015 and winter of 2016, from the Canadian Employer–Employee Dynamics Database (CEEDD). (3) Results: Analysis of CEEDD revealed that the oil and gas industry of Northern Alberta has a significant impact on the economies of Atlantic Canada with an increasing dependence for interprovincial workers. (4) Conclusions: To the extent that mobile work has served as a replacement for traditional industries, mobile work is re-structuring the social and economic makeup of Atlantic Canadian communities. The more reliant Atlantic Canadian communities become on oil-related mobile work, the more precarious their economies will become as global markets for oil and gas change and targeted actions on climate change increase.

“He Never Wants to Leave. I Would Leave in a Second.” Examining Perceptions of Rural Life and its Impact on Families who Migrate for Employment and Those who Stay Behind in Atlantic Canadian Communities

“…As a result of Canada’s Freedom of Mobility Act statistics regarding the total number of people leaving Atlantic Canada for interprovincial labor migration are not known ( Murray, 2014 ). However, within the communities in Atlantic Canada it is well known that many men are engaging in this form of mobile work as a result of the economic instability in the region ( Lionais et al, 2020 ). Specifically, within the Atlantic region, P.E.I.…”

“…Between 1991 and 2006, 37.7% of the population aged between 20 and 34 left the area ( Wray, 2012 ). While Cape Breton makes up approximately 15 percent of Nova Scotia’s population, from 2006 to 2011, 41 to 45 percent of all workers engaging in interprovincial labor migration from Nova Scotia to Alberta were from Cape Breton and in 2011, employees from Cape Breton Island represented 5.5 percent of Alberta’s employed labor force ( Lionais et al, 2020 ). This finding shows the significant impact interprovincial labor mobility is having on rural populations and migrant labor flows from rural Atlantic Canada.…”

“…The primary economic drivers in P.E.I. and Cape Breton rural communities are seasonally based industries, such as fishing, farming and tourism ( Lionais et al, 2020 ). Seasonally dependent industries offer limited employment and economic opportunities.…”

“…and Cape Breton from a social perspective, it has also shaped these communities economically. In 2011 the income earned in Atlantic Canada by interprovincial employees added 2.3 billion dollars to the Atlantic Canadian economy ( Lionais et al, 2020 ). From this total income, interprovincial employees working in Alberta contributed one billion dollars ( Lionais et al, 2020 ).…”

Employment-related geographical mobilities in the construction sector: introduction to the special issue

“…Depending on the location, some may live in the region and commute daily, while others engage in long-distance mobility (fly-in/fly-out, drive-in/drive-out, and multi-modal transport arrangements) on a rotational basis (Haslam-McKenzie 2010; Storey 2010). The latter may occur as a result of travelling from communities and regions with limited local employment options (Lionais et al 2020;MacDonald et al 2012;Ryser et al 2016). Furthermore, many large, remote construction sites offer camps to accommodate at least some of the mobile workers, while at others, workers are either placed in regional hotels or other such accommodations that are paid for by the employer/contractor, or, in the worst case scenario, are forced to find and pay for accommodations on their own.…”