About the Department

The Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development works to unleash the full potential of Newfoundland and Labrador’s talent pool through innovative workforce development strategies, population growth initiatives, and immigration programs. Additionally, the department drives business and sectoral growth and diversification, investment attraction, and rural economic development through a collaborative, regional approach. This includes creating a climate that is conducive to economic growth, innovation, and competitiveness on the global stage. This is achieved through a range of services and supports including:

  • Helping employers access and retain skilled workers.
  • Offering career development and planning services as well as employment and training supports, and information about the labour market.
  • Providing information, networking opportunities, counselling services, and financial grants and loans to businesses, industry associations, co-operatives, social enterprises, communities, and community organizations.
  • Promoting Newfoundland and Labrador as a premier North American destination for investment and attracting new foreign direct investment.
  • Supporting efforts by business in the province to grow exports and diversify trade markets.
  • Assisting the province’s technology and innovation ecosystem through direct collaboration with start-ups, academic institutions, and business accelerators and incubators.
  • Increasing the recruitment and retention of newcomers, including delivering provincial immigration programs[1].
  • Promoting diversity and multiculturalism.
  • Taking steps to prevent racism in all its forms.

Vision

A thriving, competitive Newfoundland and Labrador powered by a growing, skilled and inclusive workforce, innovative and diverse businesses, and vibrant regional and rural communities.

Mandate

The Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development has a mandate to:

  • Unleash the full potential of Newfoundland and Labrador’s talent pool through innovative workforce development strategies, population growth initiatives, and immigration programs.
  • Support business and trade development, drive investment attraction and sectoral growth and diversification, as well as Newfoundland and Labrador’s technology and innovation ecosystem, to promote economic growth and development, enhance competitiveness, and position the province as a top choice for investment and job creation.
  • Foster rural and regional economic development through a collaborative, regional approach that provides financial and non-financial supports to commercial and non-commercial clients.

Lines of Business

The Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development provides a range of programs and services to help build a stronger economic foundation. Programs and services are grouped in the following areas:

  • Employment Supports and Career Services – employment and career services to assist individuals to compete for, attain, and retain employment, including career counseling, wage subsidies, job searches, pre-employment readiness, as well as training and skills development offered through a network of 19 Employment Centres.
  •  Population Growth and Workforce Development – promoting the province as a workforce and remote work destination, supporting employers with recruitment, retention, and human resource planning, providing workforce policy support, as well as supplying individuals with labour market information and trend analysis on labour market opportunities. This work includes advancing labour mobility and attracting talent from other parts of Canada to meet provincial workforce needs.
  •  Business Growth and Regional Economic Development – delivering programs and services and facilitating investments to support sustainable business and export growth, trade diversification, investment attraction, and regional economic development. This includes: providing information, networking opportunities, counselling and business development services; promoting economic, investment and trade opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador, providing financial supports to businesses, co-operatives, social enterprises, and community organizations; building rural and regional economic development capacity; and advancing commercial R&D and new technologies.
  •  Support for Innovation and Sector Diversification – adopting a collaborative and strategic approach to sector growth and diversification by facilitating multi-sectoral interest holder engagement, supporting supply chain and product development, technology adoption, and research initiatives to promote sector-focused innovation, commercialization, productivity, and competitiveness. The department supports the technology innovation ecosystem through investments and other supports for start-ups, business accelerators, post-secondary institutions and incubators, and leads provincial efforts to increase digital and mobile connectivity throughout the province.
  •  Immigration – nominating eligible newcomers who hold jobs or job offers in Newfoundland and Labrador for permanent residency, engaging with employers and community interest holders, providing employers with free support to recruit internationally to fill vacancies that are unable to be filled locally, delivering multiculturalism awareness activities, supporting efforts to eliminate racism in all forms, and providing recruitment and retention supports.
  •  Fair Registration – supporting transparent, timely, and fair registration processes for skilled workers from other Canadian provinces and other internationally educated professionals seeking to work in regulated occupations in the province. This includes working with regulatory bodies to improve registration practices, reduce barriers to licensure, and ensure alignment with national labour mobility and credential recognition standards.

 

Values

Employees within the Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development support the following values:

  • Partnership – Employees are committed to building collaborative and constructive relationships with all stakeholders.
  • Professionalism – Employees are highly trained and committed to providing quality services.
  • Respect – Employees are committed to ensuring the views of others are clearly understood and represented in a fair, neutral, and dignified manner.
  • Sustainability – Employees act in a way that is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable.

Primary Clients

The Department of Jobs, Growth and Rural Development serves several broad groups of clients:

  • Employees and individuals under-represented in the workforce
  • Employers and employer associations
  • Small and medium enterprises
  • Post-secondary institutions
  • Technology incubators
  • Venture capital firms
  • Immigrants, expatriates and newcomers
  • Community organizations
  • Sector groups and industry associations
  • Governments and government agencies

Service Standards

Service standards are intended to describe wait times under normal circumstances. Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, clients may experience slight delays in the programs and services described below.

Employment and Training Programs

  • Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Job Grant – 20 Business Days, upon receipt of a complete application.
  • Job Creation Partnerships (JCP) Projects and individual Supports – 25 Business Days, upon receipt of a complete application.
  • JobsNL Wage Subsidy – 20 Business Days, upon receipt of a complete application.
  • Skills Development – 20 Business Days, upon receipt of a complete application.

Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism

  • Provincial Nominee Program – International Graduate – Upon receipt of a completed application for International Graduate, the department will notify the applicant of a decision within 25 Business Days.
  • Provincial Nominee Program – Skilled Worker – Upon receipt of a completed application for Skilled Worker, the department will notify the applicant of a decision within 25 Business Days.