This report is part of a 12-region series offering detailed labour market information (LMI) for Atlantic Canada’s fish and seafood processing industry. Developed by Food Processing Skills Canada (FPSC) with federal and provincial partners, it supports the broader study *Securing Canada’s Fish and Seafood Workforce*. The study explores human resource (HR) challenges and highlights best practices to help employers meet current and future labour needs. This report focuses on Nova Scotia’s Richmond Region, selected for its high processing activity and workforce involvement. It includes overviews of the region and its industry, labour supply and demand data, and HR issues. The report concludes by presenting regional challenges and showcasing innovative solutions and practices employers and communities are using to address workforce shortages.
Regional labour market analysis suggests that after accounting for labour requirements in other sectors, regional labour supply is not projected to meet average or peak seafood processing employment demand in any forecast year.
Aging demographics are expected to cause the region’s unemployment rate to fall from 17.6% in 2017 to below 12.0% by 2030, reducing labour availability for all employers in the region.
Seafood processing employment in the Richmond, Nova Scotia region is expected to decline slightly from 630 workers in the near-term before increasing to over 700 workers by 2030.
