New figures say New Brunswick is in the middle of an unprecedented job boom.
A Statistics Canada report released Friday shows the province led the country in job creation in the first half of 2007, and its current unemployment rate is the lowest ever recorded there.
New Brunswick experienced employment growth of 3.1 per cent, compared to a national average of 1.2 per cent during the six-month period. Its unemployment rate is only 6.8 per cent.
The province even outpaced job-rich Alberta, which had employment growth of 2.5 per cent.
The other Maritime provinces were below the national average.
Ben Champoux, head of economic development for Moncton, says the demand for workers there has changed the nature of his job.
"The name of the game has become it's as important to attract people as it is to attract businesses," he said.
The StatsCan report says more than half the job gains in New Brunswick were in culture, recreation, information, and educational services, and Champoux says that lines up with the situation in Moncton.
"It's not only call centre jobs or retail jobs that are fuelling employment growth, but you see a lot of growth in high-end manufacturing jobs. Health and science sectors are also creating a lot of jobs."
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