Stacey Dodge is having a hard time finding a job in rural Nova Scotia.
Many small businesses are shutting down because of COVID-19, so there are fewer jobs with fewer hours, and the Wilmot mom must also consider childcare. It’s a lot of pressure, especially since she’s working against the clock when her Employment Insurance runs out in December.
Dodge feels that if she were living in the more urban area of Halifax, she would have more opportunities, but she doesn’t want to raise her children in a city.
“Living in the city would mean higher-paying jobs, but a higher cost of living,” she says.
She just wishes there were more job opportunities in the Annapolis Valley.
Benefits of rural employment
When it comes to searching for a job, millennial career coach Ali Breen of Ali Breen Career Coaching & Digital Consulting in Dartmouth, says there is a definite difference between rural and urban areas.
One benefit, says Breen, is that in a rural area, job hunters may be more apt to talk to a human in the hiring process, whereas in urban centres, the usage of artificial intelligence or other automated recruitment tools may be higher.
Even showing up at a job fair in a rural area, especially if you are not from the area, shows a passion for the area and a willingness to relocate. This is key for rural applicants new to a rural area, says Breen.
The number of attendees at local rural in-person and virtual job fairs have been lower the last couple of years, says Mary Fox, executive director of the Community Inclusion Society, a Kentville, N.S.-based organization that develops and designs programs to meet the needs of the disability community while also meeting the needs of all job seekers and employers. This, she says, creates an advantage for those who do attend and who are prepared and dressed for an interview.
Culture and fit matter in the work environment in both settings, but this is amplified in rural areas, says Breen. For example, if there are only a few businesses in town, that doesn't give you a lot of choices for diverse social groups and networks. This might be very appealing to some, and downright awful to others, says Breen.
Non-salary benefits, like lifestyle and workplace culture, all need to be taken into consideration when deciding whether to look for a job in a rural or urban setting, says Breen.
Types of jobs
The “labour versus professional” distinction in jobs is misleading, says Robyn Lee Seale, coordinator for the Cape Breton Connector Program, where they help recent graduates and newcomers build their networks in Cape Breton. No one job type is concentrated in one area; both kinds of careers depend on one another, says Seale.
For example, Cape Breton is seeing large infrastructure investments from the provincial government that will impact job seekers, especially those in trades, including general labourers, red seal tradespeople, engineers and techs, and project managers, says Seale. All employees are mixed on every project.
Entrepreneurship
“If the suggestion is that there is a lack of diversity in job opportunities in rural communities, I think there are pockets of innovative entrepreneurs who exist exactly because they are rural,” says Seale.
Take Victoria County, which comprises the eastern half of the Cabot Highlands National Park, for example, says Seale. There are more businesses per capita there than any other municipality in Nova Scotia, with 84 per cent of all businesses made of entrepreneurs or small business operations.
Barriers to Employment in Rural Areas
Transportation is a huge barrier when it comes to rural employment, says Fox. There are many businesses with hours of operation that extend beyond the bus schedule, creating additional barriers for job seekers and employers.
“We are seeing more flexibility to how people work and where they can work as more organizations offer working from home options,” says Fox.
This, however, isn’t always possible, Breen, noting there is still a big digital divide in many parts of the province that just don't have reliable enough internet to work from home effectively.
Who you know
Who you know is especially important in rural Nova Scotia, says Brenda LaGrandeur, manager of the Connecter Program in Western Nova Scotia.
“Many rural employers are small companies that don’t have dedicated human resources, so they rely on their networks of staff, family, etc., to help them find the right person,” says LaGrandeur.
Often, these positions do not get posted publicly, so it can be especially difficult for newcomers to find work.
Fox agrees, saying relationships are key in knowing about employment opportunities. Networking is even more important in rural settings where employers rely more on recommendations for good employees.
From her perspective, though, Seale says the job market is evolving, with more and more employees coming from outside the employer’s immediate community.
“This new reality is also reflected in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, where about half of our employers are rural and are working hard to accommodate new Canadian workers and their families,” she says.
Youth migration
Youth often leave rural areas is often for employment opportunities, says Breen. There are some indications that younger generations are turning to small farming, but this is not yet a trend and has significant financial barriers to entry, she says.
Seale says it’s a long-standing myth, though, that Nova Scotia - and Cape Breton especially - has a lack of employment opportunities for youth.
She says a recently-created Cape Breton Job Board has many job opportunities posted. Seale adds they are working hard to ensure youth know both the opportunities that currently exist in Cape Breton, along with the opportunities they can create for themselves.
Perceptions
From Fox’s perspective, there are lots of job options available, both in rural and urban areas. Employers are hiring, but they are struggling to find interested candidates.
“There are opportunities if people wish to find employment, it may be not just the ‘ideal’ job but then not many of us find that, even if they work the majority of their lives in either urban or rural,” says Fox.
It is important to recognize, though, that the full range of employment is still rebounding from COVID-19 shutdowns.
There are also so many places to look for work, says Fox, and it can be very time consuming to stay on top of who is hiring, and sometimes difficult to know where to look. This is where employment centres across the province can help, she says.
Dodge says she does believe there are rural job opportunities out there, but people have to allow this to happen and not fear change.
“The government should bring in companies that want to come to the Maritimes or want to expand,” she adds.
This is an opportunity, she says, and not something to fear that the old ways will change.
“If nothing new happens, there will be no growth in the job market.”
