It’s no secret that Cape Breton struggles with retaining young professionals for a variety of reasons. Some of the main challenges that youth express are:

• Finding employment opportunities that fit career goals;
• Gaps in post-secondary education programs;
• Lack of entertainment/social activities;
• Financial issues (managing debt, student loans);
• Better wages elsewhere; and,
• Negative attitudes.

We are getting the first look at Statistics Canada Census information for 2011 and it comes as no surprise for many that the population in Cape Breton is continuing to get older and smaller. In fact, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are tied for second oldest province in Canada with a median age of 43.7. Each of Cape Breton’s counties is well above the provincial median age:

·         Cape Breton County – 46.6

·         Inverness – 47.3

·         Victoria -  47.9

·         Richmond – 49.6.

Despite this, there is a lot of positive news, room for optimism and professional opportunities to be explored. Compared to the same time period in 2011, in 2012, Cape Breton has shown positive growth in employment.  The labour force grew by 600 resulting in a 2.9 percent decrease in the local unemployment rate compared to the first five months of 2011.

The Cape Breton Partnership has been researching and promoting professional job openings in the region, and recently there have been an increasing number of new opportunities. Demand for health care professionals continues to rise, with a number of job vacancies at the Cape Breton District Health Authority.  There is a growing awareness of the number and types of jobs will be vacant in the coming years.

NextGen newsletter profiles have highlighted a number of individuals, families and businesses who have relocated or returned to Cape Breton as well as individuals who have continued to do business, work and live in Cape Breton. Recently, the newsletter has also highlighted a variety of potential opportunities for growth and employment in the region that have been announced in the media in recent months.

With all this positive energy in mind, what NextGen wants to know:

If you met someone who was thinking of moving to Cape Breton to work and live, what is the number one attribute of the region you would promote to sell them on relocating to the Island? (Answer by commenting below).

Resources

Health Care Career Fair

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The Cape Breton Partnership is creating an open dialogue about the issues and concerns of Cape Breton's next generation of business and community leaders. 

Everything you see on NextGen starts with someone in the Cape Breton community. The posts here are not edited or fact-checked but they will be screened before they post. NextGen's administrators will check out some of the most compelling, important and urgent topics of conversation and, once they're cleared use, make them a part of NextGen's newsletter and stakeholder communications.

Together, NextGen and the youth of our community will paint a more complete picture of Cape Breton Island. The Cape Breton Partnership would love for you to join the conversation. Jump in, tell your story and see how it connects with someone in another community on the island. Site administrators will be posting questions and polls to get you started.

The Partnership wants to hear your thoughts on what it's like for 16 - 45 year-olds living in Cape Breton.  What are some of the good experiences and benefits?  What are some of the barriers and challenges you face?  Discuss.

Please be polite and confine your comments to the subject of the posted topic.  Comments will be moderated before posting.  Read more about the forum's community guidelines HERE.