--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/covid-19-labour-market-developments-in-new-brunswick-compared-to-canada/" title: "Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T10:13:12+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T10:13:12+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Atlantic bubble" - "Canada" - "COVID-19" - "employment" - "GDP growth" - "labour market" - "New Brunswick" - "pandemic" - "participation rate" - "public health" - "unemployment" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "NB" research_theme: - "Labour Markets" - "Regional Economic Development" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/covid-19-labour-market-developments-in-new-brunswick-compared-to-canada/ # Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2022-05-1.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Tran, Vy. 2022. “Covid-19 Labour Market Developments in New Brunswick Compared to Canada.” CSLS Research Report 2022-05. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/covid-19-labour-market-developments-in-new-brunswick-compared-to-canada/ ## Author: - Vy Tran University of Ottawa ## Report 2022-05 October 2022 54 pages ## Related research [Closing the First Nations Education Gap in Canada: Assessing Progress and Estimating the Economic Benefits — An Update Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2023 | Report 2023-01 | 101 pages](https://csls.ca/research/closing-the-first-nations-education-gap-in-canada-assessing-progress-and-estimating-the-economic-benefits-an-update-2023-01/) [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? Andrew Sharpe December 1999 | Report 1999-03 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/apprenticeship-in-canadaa-training-system-under-siege/) [A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Andrew Sharpe July 1999 | Report 1999-cprn | 72 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/) [A Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Labour Market Performance, 1989-2000 Andrew Sharpe April 2001 | Report 2001-01 | 29 pages](https://csls.ca/research/a-comparison-of-canadian-and-u-s-labour-market-performance-1989-2000/) [Creating a More Efficient Labour Market Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2001 | Report 2001-02 | 147 pages](https://csls.ca/research/creating-a-more-efficient-labour-market/) [The Impact of the National Child Benefit Supplement on the Low Income Status of Canadian Families with Children: The SPSD/M Results Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) June 2002 | Report 2002-01 | 59 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-impact-of-the-national-child-benefit-supplement-on-the-low-income-status-of-canadian-families-with-children-the-spsd-m-results/) [Raising Canadian Living Standards: A Framework for Discussion Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) October 2002 | Report 2002-td | 56 pages](https://csls.ca/research/raising-canadian-living-standards-a-framework-for-discussion/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn The present paper attempts to broadly examine whether New Brunswick’s pandemic-related responses at the provincial level were successful or not through the assessment of New Brunswick’s labour force performance since the start of the pandemic until December 2021 by comparing the latter to that of Canada during the same period. To do so, this paper attempts to show as well as explain some differences between New Brunswick’s and Canada’s changes pertaining to the prominent labour force characteristics including the size of population and labour force, participation rate, employment at absolute values, employment rate, unemployment at absolute values, unemployment rate, and GDP growth rate based on data published by Statistics Canada. Overall, New Brunswick appear to have a better labour force performance amidst the spread of the pandemic thanks to the timely implementation of stringent public health measures throughout the studied period despite having lower counts and ratios of officially reported deaths, hospitalizations, and infections. Also, the small number of airports with schedule flights coupled with the enactment of the Atlantic bubble agreement helped keep the number and contagion of visitors and newcomers on track, thus prevented the COVID-induced disruptions of the flows of goods and services, therefore optimized the provincial consumption, trades, and employment. Cet article tente d’examiner de façon générale si les mesures provinciales adoptées par le Nouveau-Brunswick en réponse à la pandémie ont été efficaces ou non, en évaluant la performance du marché du travail de la province depuis le début de la pandémie jusqu’en décembre 2021, en comparaison avec celle du Canada durant la même période. Pour ce faire, cet article tente de présenter et d’expliquer certaines différences entre l’évolution du Nouveau-Brunswick et celle du Canada relativement aux principales caractéristiques de la population active, notamment la taille de la population et de la main-d’œuvre, le taux d’activité, l’emploi en valeurs absolues, le taux d’emploi, le chômage en valeurs absolues, le taux de chômage et le taux de croissance du PIB, à partir des données publiées par Statistique Canada. Dans l’ensemble, le Nouveau-Brunswick semble avoir affiché une meilleure performance du marché du travail durant la pandémie, grâce à la mise en œuvre rapide de mesures de santé publique rigoureuses tout au long de la période étudiée, malgré des taux et des nombres de décès, d’hospitalisations et d’infections officiellement déclarés plus faibles. De plus, le petit nombre d’aéroports offrant des vols réguliers, combiné à la mise en place de l’entente de la bulle atlantique, a contribué à maîtriser le nombre et la propagation des visiteurs et des nouveaux arrivants, ce qui a permis d’éviter les perturbations des flux de biens et de services causées par la COVID, et donc d’optimiser la consommation, les échanges et l’emploi dans la province. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2022-05-1.pdf)