Labour Market Development in Newfoundland and Labrador: Regional Challenges and Active Solutions

Ekaterina Lysenko, MA Candidate, Department of Geography

High unemployment in Newfoundland and Labrador historically has been associated with a lack of employment opportunities. The situation has changed – the provincial labour market is now challenged by labour shortage. Despite the province’s recent economic prosperity and a quick adjustment in large urban centers, rural areas of the province continue to be challenged by a high unemployment. However, now unemployment co-exists with a growing demand for labour. Such coexistence indicates geographical and skills mismatch between labour supply and demand. This thesis employs a case study approach to examine implementation of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Norway. ALMP are aimed to stimulate adaptation of the labour force to changed labour demand. Although, this study has found significant differences in the circumstances and approaches to ALMP employed in the two case studies, the examination of Norwegian ALMP reveals potential options for addressing growing labour market challenges in the province.