WCB Nova Scotia supported quicker injury recovery in 2025
Over 80,000 more days spent on the job - the equivalent of 300 full-time workers
HALIFAX, NS: Nova Scotians spent more time on the job in 2025, instead of being sidelined by a workplace injury.
Anchored by an ambitious Protect More strategic plan to prevent more injuries and support people back to their job sooner after an injury, WCB helped add 83,000 more working days to Nova Scotia’s labour force last year, compared to 2024.
It’s the equivalent to more than 300 people working full-time for a year. It’s also time spent caring for our most vulnerable, building roads and homes, keeping businesses running – and countless other examples of work that WCB Nova Scotia protects.
Bold progress like this puts Nova Scotia on track to achieving the strategic plan’s goal of 1,000 jobs back into the workforce by the end of 2030.
But it’s just one example out of many ways WCB is showing up differently, to help support a stronger and safer workforce. Other WCB Nova Scotia outcomes in 2025 include:
- 226 time-loss days per 100 covered workers, down from 269 in 2024.
- 240 Nova Scotians went on to long-term benefits, down from 451 in 2024.
- Workplace injuries hit the lowest rate ever – at 1.22 per 100 covered workers as of October.
That’s 400 fewer people getting injured on the job last year and progress that’s expected to continue through Safer Workplaces Together, a new collaborative prevention strategy that brings government and industry partners to the same table. Already, WCB is two-thirds of the way to its 2030 prevention goal, while seeing huge gains in return-to-work outcomes as well.
According to WCB CEO Karen Adams, the shift comes down to accountability across the entire system.
“WCB’s remarkable success is down to one word: accountability,” says Adams. “We are holding ourselves accountable to get back to people quickly. We are holding employers accountable to keep workers safe and accommodate them in the event of injury. We are holding healthcare service providers accountable to help people get back to work safely. And we are holding workers accountable too. WCB is different now. We’re showing up differently for our fellow Nova Scotians.”
WCB is also seeing strong results through closer, hands-on partnerships with employers — including the province’s Public Works department, one of the largest government bodies.
The collaboration combined work on training and education, tailoring them to the department’s frontline work. As a result, the wait time for an assessment has dropped to about five days on average, saving a significant number of time-loss days.
“There’s been real, meaningful action from this partnership,” said Dan Leopold, Executive Director with Public Works. “In May 2025, 50 per cent of people with a workplace injury were back on the job within 30 days. Because of the work we’ve done together, it’s now 70 per cent and that’s a significant improvement in just eight months.”
With the system now financially stable, WCB is in a position to deliver the first employer rate cut in more than 30 years, coming in 2027.
Those rate reductions come alongside recent government changes that fully index worker benefits to inflation, helping ensure people off work recovering keep up with the cost of living.
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