Population and Labour Force
September 2021
Provincial Median Income
$62,500 (employed full-time, full-year)
Age groups | Total – Gender | Men |
|---|---|---|
0 to 14 | 13.4% | 14.0% |
15 to 64 | 63.0% | 63.3% |
65 and over | 23.6% | 22.7% |
September 2023
Population 25 Years or Older with Completed Post-Secondary Education: 65.1%
Population Distribution
Of the 538,605 residents of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, 95% live on the Island of Newfoundland. The population of province are primarily located along the coast, with the majority residing in the southeast of the island, on the Avalon Peninsula. As the maps below illustrate, the interior of the province, where most of the gold exploration and discoveries have taken place, remain virtually uninhabited.
Aboriginal Population and Reserves
The two aboriginal groups (referred to as “First Nations”) of the Province are the Mik’kmaq, residing on the Island of Newfoundland, and the Innu, residing in Labrador. There are approximately 28,300 persons registered as members of these first Nations under Canada’s Indian Act. Of this number, only 12 per cent live on Reserves.
Reserves are lands set aside by the Government of Canada for the exclusive use and benefit of an Indian band (First Nation band). These lands are administered directly by the Canadian Government.
There are only three Reserves in the Province.
1. the Miawpukek Reserve (Mik’kmaq) -located near Conne River, Newfoundland
2. the Sheshatshiu Reserve (Innu) – located near Northwest River, Labrador
3. the Natuashish Reserve (Innu) – located near the Davis inlet, Labrador
Mineral exploration on Reserve Lands may only be done with the express consent of the respective Band Councils and usually with their participation.
Unlike in other mining jurisdictions, the small population of First Nations people and only three Reserves, places few additional restrictions on mining exploration aside from the normal Provincial guidelines and laws.
Language, Literacy and Education
English is the primary spoken and written language of the Province and is the language used in government and business. One hundred percent of the labour force is literate.
The provincial government provides a free, universal public school system for all residents from Kindergarten/Grade 1 through Grade 12.
There is one university in the Province, Memorial University, founded in 1925. In addition to faculties dedicated to the liberal arts, science and the professions, Memorial University hosts Canada’s foremost centre of fisheries and marine research and training, the Marine Institute. It is regarded as one of the largest and the best marine educational institutions in the world. Memorial University has four campus locations within the Province and one campus in England.
To provide technical skills training at the post-secondary level, the Province has established the College of the North Atlantic (CAN). The CAN has 17 campuses throughout the Province and delivers over 100 full-time programmes to students. The high quality of its educational standards and methods of instruction has led the State of Qatar to request that it establish and operate a technical college within that country. Several universities in China have also requested that the CAN deliver its curriculum at their university campuses.
Labour mobility and Work Ethic
In a country known for its work ethic, the work ethic of Newfoundlanders is exceptional. The men and woman of Newfoundland and Labrador will travel anywhere for employment and will work in the most inhospitable climates and work environments. They dominate the oilfields of Alberta, the mining sites of the high Arctic and are well represented in the fishing fleets of both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Yet, despite the high pay and hard earned affluence they may enjoy “away”, all Newfoundlanders dream of returning home. This desire to return to their native province provides investors and employers within the natural resource industries of Newfoundland and Labrador with a highly productive, highly mobile and highly skilled labour force as it is required.
Universal Health Care
The residents of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador enjoy the benefits of a universal health insurance program. The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Care Plan (MCP) is a publicly administered comprehensive plan of public medical care insurance. MCP covers the costs of insured physician services for residents of the province who have registered as MCP beneficiaries. MCP beneficiaries are also entitled to coverage of insured medical services received in a hospital under the Hospital Insurance Plan (HIP).
Labour Unions
Labour unions in Newfoundland and Labrador, like the rest of Canada and the United states, are apolitical and focus on business issues such as wages, benefits and workplace safety. The Province has approximately 575 collective agreements and 83,600 unionized employees.
To facilitate constructive relations between management and labour within the workplace, the Province has established the Labour Relations Division to provide neutral mediation services upon request. The Labour Relations Division has over an 80% success rate in grievance mediation. It has a 98% success rate in conciliation without job action.