Nova Scotia’s Employment Rate by Gender (1980–2023)

The employment rate indicates the percentage of individuals aged 15 and older who are employed, relative to the total population in that age group. For a specific demographic (such as age, gender, or marital status), it is calculated by dividing the number of employed individuals in that group by the population of the same group and expressing the result as a percentage. These figures are generally rounded to one decimal place.

Table: Nova Scotia’s Employment Rate by Gender from 1980-2023

Year	Canada	Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia – Males	Nova Scotia – Females
1980	59.4%	51.8%	65%	39.4%
1981	60.1%	51.9%	64%	40.6%
1982	57.3%	50.2%	61.3%	39.8%
1983	56.9%	50%	60.2%	40.4%
1984	57.7%	51.5%	61.9%	41.8%
1985	58.8%	51.4%	61.5%	42%
1986	59.8%	51.9%	61.4%	43%
1987	60.6%	52.8%	62.4%	43.8%
1988	61.7%	54.5%	64.1%	45.6%
1989	62.2%	55.2%	64.3%	46.8%
1990	61.7%	55.3%	63.4%	47.7%
1991	59.7%	54.1%	61.6%	47.1%
1992	58.3%	52.1%	58.5%	46.2%
1993	57.9%	51.4%	57%	46.2%
1994	58.4%	52%	58.1%	46.4%
1995	58.7%	52.2%	59%	45.9%
1996	58.5%	52%	58%	46.4%
1997	59%	52.5%	57.9%	47.5%
1998	59.7%	54.2%	59.9%	48.9%
1999	60.6%	54.9%	60.5%	49.8%
2000	61.3%	55.7%	60.8%	51%
2001	61.1%	56%	60.7%	51.6%
2002	61.7%	56.5%	60.6%	52.7%
2003	62.4%	57.3%	61.4%	53.4%
2004	62.6%	58.3%	62.7%	54.1%
2005	62.6%	58.1%	62.1%	54.4%
2006	62.8%	57.6%	60.8%	54.7%
2007	63.3%	58.3%	61.3%	55.6%
2008	63.3%	58.9%	62%	56%
2009	61.6%	58.4%	61%	56%
2010	61.6%	58.3%	61.2%	55.6%
2011	61.8%	58.4%	61.1%	55.8%
2012	61.9%	58.7%	61.4%	56.3%
2013	62%	58.5%	60.7%	56.5%
2014	61.7%	57.6%	60%	55.4%
2015	61.6%	57.2%	59.4%	55.1%
2016	61.3%	56.7%	58.7%	54.9%
2017	61.8%	56.7%	58.3%	55.3%
2018	62%	56.8%	59%	54.7%
2019	62.3%	57.6%	59.3%	56%
2020	58.1%	54.5%	56.8%	52.3%
2021	60.5%	57%	59.2%	54.9%
2022	62%	57.7%	60.2%	55.4%
2023	62.1%	57.6%	59.9%	55.5%

Data Source:

Source Name:	Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0327-01. Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual
Source Link:	statcan.gc.ca
Published Date:	January 2024