Halifax's workforce is concentrated in public administration, commerce, and personal services. Despite recent cutbacks, the government remains the single largest employer. A large percentage of workers in Halifax are employed at the two military bases in the area, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Halifax and CFB Shearwater. Important industries are food processing, printing and publishing, petroleum refining, ship repair, motor-vehicle assembly, and tourism. In addition, electronic equipment, plastic goods, clothing, cordage, and furniture are manufactured in the area.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, economic growth came primarily from investment in business parks located in the suburbs. Since then, plans for growth have been focused more and more on the port of Halifax and on making it capable of handling ever larger ocean-going container ships. To this end, administration of the port was put under the control of the newly created Halifax Port Corporation in 1984, which is responsible for all Halifax port facilities and is constantly enlarging and upgrading them. In addition to shipping, electronics technology and ocean-based research, including the continued exploitation of offshore gas and oil deposits begun in the early 1990s, are also gaining importance in the economy of the region.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Halifax Information info
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