3.2 The Economy

The Strait Region has one of the highest rates of unemployment in Nova Scotia with an average of 20.4%. Richmond County has the highest rate at 25.6% and Antigonish County the lowest at 12.9%.² The experienced workforce in the Strait Area numbers approximately 13,600. These workers transcend all industries, with the three major labor force sectors being: Trade (16%), Education and Health Services (16%), and Manufacturing (13%). These three industries employ 50% of the local labor force.³

3.3 Education

As outlined in the Table 3, 46% of the population in this region do not have a high school diploma and more than half of Guysborough County have not completed high school (59%). While the Town of Antigonish has high education levels with 37.7% of the population holding a university certificate, diploma or degree⁴ these same numbers do not hold true for the County. Thirty-four percent of Antigonish County residents do not have a high school diploma and only 17% has a Bachelor's Degree or higher.⁵

When we take a closer look at the numbers without a high school diploma, based on age, it is quite apparent that the highest number of adults without a high school diploma are in the 45-64 age group in all counties in the Strait Region with a high of 60% in Guysborough County to a low of 33.3% in Antigonish. While those between 20 and 34 years of age represent only 16.5% of the entire population of this region they are the highest educated group with approximately 84.5% having a high school diploma.