Education represents one of New Brunswick’s most significant institutional and economic assets, generating $2.30 billion in real GDP in 2024 while supporting workforce development, employment, and community growth.
When people think about economic development, they often picture industrial parks, transportation networks, housing, and business investment. Education is less frequently included in that conversation. Yet across New Brunswick, educational institutions play a central role in shaping labour markets, supporting communities, attracting talent, and preparing the workforce needed for future growth.
Viewed through an economic lens, education is more than a public service. It is a form of infrastructure. Like roads, broadband networks, and utilities, it creates the conditions that allow communities and businesses to grow. Its impacts can be seen not only in classrooms and campuses but also in employment, entrepreneurship, population growth, and long-term regional competitiveness.
The scale of education’s economic presence in New Brunswick is substantial. Educational services generated $2.30 billion in real GDP in 2024. During the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development reported approximately $1.94 billion in expenditures, while the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour reported $750.3 million in operating expenditures. New Brunswick’s public education system includes 295 schools serving more than 109,000 students and employing nearly 9,000 full-time equivalent educators.
These figures demonstrate that education is not merely a support system for the economy. It is an important economic sector. The salaries paid to teachers, administrators, support staff, and early childhood educators circulate through local economies. Educational institutions purchase construction services, technology, transportation, food services, professional expertise, and countless other goods and services from businesses across the province.
The impact is particularly visible in Southeast New Brunswick, where education is deeply connected to both demographic growth and workforce development.
The region is home to a diverse postsecondary ecosystem. Institutions including the Université de Moncton, New Brunswick Community College, CCNB Dieppe, Mount Allison University, Crandall University, Oulton College, McKenzie College, and programs delivered through the University of New Brunswick contribute to skills development, research, continuing education, and workforce preparation.
Available enrolment data provide a partial view of the region’s postsecondary ecosystem. The Université de Moncton’s Moncton campus enrolled 4,636 students in 2024-2025, while Mount Allison University enrolled 2,389 students during the same academic year. Crandall University reported approximately 1,992 students, and the Moncton campus of New Brunswick Community College serves more than 1,400 students through its full-time, apprenticeship, and continuing education programs. Oulton College serves approximately 700 students, while CCNB Dieppe has capacity for approximately 840 learners.
Together, these institutions represent far more than educational facilities. They are talent generators. Students require housing, transportation, food services, telecommunications, healthcare, recreation, and retail services. Faculty and staff contribute to local economies through spending and community involvement. Institutions themselves purchase goods and services from local suppliers while forming partnerships with employers, municipalities, and community organizations.
The importance of this educational ecosystem becomes even more apparent when viewed alongside broader workforce trends. The Southeast Labour Market Partnership’s Southeast Regional Workforce Development Strategy 2026-2031 notes that Southeast New Brunswick experienced population growth of 17.8 per cent between 2019 and 2024, the highest among Canada’s economic regions during that period. The strategy also reports that 63.1 per cent of residents aged 25 to 64 possess postsecondary education.
Those statistics point to a region whose future prosperity is increasingly tied to talent development. In a growing economy, the question is no longer simply whether educational institutions can prepare students for graduation. It is whether regions can develop, attract, and retain the people needed to support businesses, communities, and economic growth.
That is one reason why the relationship between education and workforce development has become increasingly important. Education no longer exists separately from the labour market. It is part of a broader ecosystem connecting learners, employers, entrepreneurs, and communities.
In Southeast New Brunswick, that ecosystem extends beyond schools and campuses. The Moncton IDEA Centre and Centres IDÉE provide examples of how entrepreneurship, innovation, and workforce development increasingly intersect. Through mentorship, networking, business development support, and skills-building opportunities, these initiatives help connect learning with economic participation and business growth.
This type of collaboration reflects a broader shift in how regions think about talent development. Employers are looking not only for credentials but also for skills, adaptability, and practical experience. Educational institutions and workforce organizations increasingly work together to connect learners with opportunities that support career development and long-term retention within the region.
Education’s role is equally important outside major urban centres.
In smaller communities, schools, childcare centres, colleges, and universities often serve as anchors for economic and social activity. They create employment, support local businesses, attract families, and contribute to community vitality. Their presence can influence where people choose to live and where businesses choose to invest.
Tantramar offers a clear example. Mount Allison University contributes significantly to both the local economy and community identity. Its student population supports housing demand, retail activity, cultural programming, restaurants, and local employment. Like many postsecondary institutions in smaller communities, its influence extends beyond education and into the broader economic health of the region.
The same principle applies throughout Southeast New Brunswick. Access to local educational opportunities allows residents to develop skills without leaving their communities and provides employers with a stronger foundation for workforce development. Education therefore contributes not only to skills acquisition but also to talent retention.
Early childhood education forms another important component of this economic picture. New Brunswick’s network of 901 licensed early learning and childcare facilities supports labour force participation by enabling parents to work while also creating jobs within the childcare sector itself. While often viewed primarily through a social lens, early learning services also influence workforce availability, residential decisions, and economic participation.
Taken together, these observations suggest that education’s contribution to economic development is broader than commonly recognized. Educational institutions generate economic activity directly through employment and spending. They support entrepreneurship and innovation. They help attract and retain talent. They contribute to population growth, workforce preparedness, and community resilience.
In Southeast New Brunswick, these impacts are reinforced by a growing population, a strong network of educational institutions, and an increasingly collaborative workforce-development ecosystem. As the region continues to evolve, education will remain one of the foundational assets supporting its future growth.
The conversation around economic development often begins with infrastructure. Perhaps it is time to recognize that education belongs in that conversation as well. Not simply because it prepares people for work, but because it helps shape the economic future of communities throughout Southeast New Brunswick and beyond.
For Southeast New Brunswick, the implication is clear: the region has an opportunity to turn its education ecosystem into a stronger long-term economic advantage. With thousands of students, employers seeking talent, and a broad network of institutions already in place, the next step is to strengthen the pathways that connect learning with employment, entrepreneurship, and careers. If more learners can see a future for themselves in the region, and if more employers can access the talent developing here, education can play an even greater role in supporting Southeast New Brunswick’s competitiveness, resilience, and long-term growth.
Bibliography / Bibliographie
Government of New Brunswick. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Annual Report 2024–2025. Fredericton, NB: Government of New Brunswick, 2025.
Government of New Brunswick. Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Summary Statistics 2025–2026. Fredericton, NB: Government of New Brunswick, 2025.
Government of New Brunswick. Department of Finance and Treasury Board. The New Brunswick Economy: 2024 in Review. Fredericton, NB: Government of New Brunswick, 2025.
Government of New Brunswick. Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Annual Report 2024–2025. Fredericton, NB: Government of New Brunswick, 2025.
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Canadian Industry Statistics: Educational Services (NAICS 61), GDP by Province and Territory. Government of Canada.
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New Brunswick Community College. Annual Report 2024–2025. Moncton, NB: New Brunswick Community College, 2025.
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Southeast Labour Market Partnership. Southeast Regional Workforce Development Strategy 2026–2031. Moncton, NB: Southeast Labour Market Partnership, 2026.
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