We need more people living and working in the Greater Saint John area. Boosting the number of people attracted to or retained in our communities will be critical to establishing a workforce supporting economic growth in the years ahead.
Local demographics could be the biggest barrier to economic growth moving forward.
More jobs, more people, and a more attractive business environment.
Steady, long-term growth for greater Saint John.
Workforce Development Main Text
Our communities are connected, collaborative, and on the cutting-edge, with a workforce that drives our economy.
Ensuring our area’s workforce grows in support of our economy – and that our citizens are ready, willing and able to meet the needs of our business community – is an important part of growing prosperity.
Recruitment, retention and on-boarding challenges are an issue for companies across Canada, including Greater Saint John.
A multi-agency pilot project is now underway led by Economic Development Greater Saint John, the Premier’s office, Opportunities New Brunswick (ONB), Post-Secondary Education, Training & Labour (PETL), Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the City of Saint John.
The Filling Unfilled Jobs Initiative will analyze employers’ challenges and test out new approaches to help local companies attract and retain talent. A multi-agency action team will work with local companies to develop solutions that can be implemented immediately.
The action team will also look for common challenges that can be addressed through short-to medium-term workforce development approaches such as employer-driven job fairs or recruitment missions.
Contact us for more information about this initiative.
The shrinking workforce across the region is arguably the most significant barrier to growth. When we solve this, it will be the greatest opportunity for Greater Saint John’s companies to grow, and for the region to attract new investment.
Our efforts are all about collaboration; working together to drive the economy forward.
Building a robust and diverse workforce starts with retention. By creating opportunities, we’ll keep our best and brightest here in Greater Saint John.
Helping our young people and newcomers see entrepreneurship as a career option opens up a world of possibility here at home.
Youth Retention
Our Entrepreneurial Pipeline Project will grow our start-up community and feed key skills into the workforce buy giving our young people the tools and skills relevant to today’s economy.
The Business Immigrant Mentorship Program (BIMP) is located in Saint John and administered by ConnexionWorks. If you’re a new immigrant interested in starting a business and need assistance, this program provides business training and mentorship.
You can join if you have moved to Canada under any of the following criteria:
Major Employers in Greater Saint John. We have a diverse economy with major employers in a variety of sectors including Energy, Advanced Manufacturing, Health & Life Sciences and ICT.
The following list includes medium to large companies currently employing people in Greater Saint John:
Employment size categories from Statistics Canada have been re-grouped into Canadian Industry Statistics. Here are the categories under the following employment size ranges:
Micro
1-4 employees
Small
5-99 employees
Medium
100-499 employees
Large
500+ employees
Industry Sectors
Our diverse industrial base keeps our region’s engine running year-round. Our economy includes everything from large-scale industrial operations to a host of small businesses.
Explore Greater Saint John’s key sectors.
Health Research
Greater Saint John’s Tucker Park collaborative at the University of New Brunswick’s Saint John campus is a powerful inter-professional mix of primary care, education and research. This health cluster benefits from the co-location of:
the Saint John Regional Hospital – the Province’s largest tertiary care hospital, designated Level 1 Trauma Centre, and teaching hospital.
Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick – Dalhousie University’s medical education program, hosted at UNB Saint John.
Nursing and Health Sciences at UNB Saint John – one of the country’s most well-respected nursing programs.
Allied Health programs at the New Brunswick Community College – including hands-on programs such as medical laboratory technology, respiratory therapy, and licensed practical nursing.
Logistics And Manufacturing
Greater Saint John’s multi-modal transportation infrastructure positions us to efficiently serve the US eastern seaboard and other international markets. When you combine that solid foundation with adiverse and skilled network of manufacturing facilities and service providers, seasoned industrial supply chain management professionals, available land for warehousing and manufacturing purposes; and perhaps most compellingly – Canada’s newest Foreign Trade Zone designation – you have all the tools you need to get product to market affordably and efficiently.
ICT And Cybersecurity
Greater Saint John is building on the city’s highly respected telecom roots by nurturing technology companies of all sizes. This cluster, at the heart of which is Brick Park – located in uptown Saint John’s heritage district, is leveraging a hardware infrastructure that includes 3GB fibre and 4 data centres, to take to market everything from energy efficiency data mining tools to digital procedure builders. Our community is also serving as a test-bed for a new AI- based security system designed to monitor and protect people and manage physical asset protection.
Energy
Greater Saint John’s energy picture is a diverse mix, boasting the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station (one of two nuclear power generation sites in Canada, and operated by NB Power), Canada’s largest oil refinery (operated by Irving Oil), and Saint John Energy (an innovative city-specific electrical utility). Research and partnerships are dramatically expanding opportunities for advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear technology, tidal power (leveraging the enormously high tides in the Bay of Fundy, just at our doorstep), and wind power projects designed to redistribute electrical energy resources to reduce costs and improve our carbon footprint.
Ocean
Greater Saint John is the largest metropolitan area on the Bay of Fundy – a body of water that is an enormous economic asset to the region. Canada’s Ocean supercluster, designated by the federal government in 2018 to leverage science and technology to enhance our ocean-based economy, includes local partner companies Cooke Aquaculture, T4G, NB Power, Atlantic Towing, the University of New Brunswick, and the Provincial Government. From a research perspective, UNB Saint John offers Canada’s only Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology, and conducts faculty research into marine species health, and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture. From an aquaculture perspective, local giant Cooke Aquaculture (the world’s largest independent seafood company, headquartered in Saint John) and others are breaking new ground in research as well as commercialization of seafood products. From a transportationperspective, Port Saint John – eastern Canada’s largest by volume – is now home to terminal operator DP World, a global company with strong connections and partnerships around the world. From a tourismperspective, historic Saint John and the Fundy National Park experience beginning in St. Martins draws visitors from across North America. It’s a diverse picture, with a lot of contributors.
