Labour Market Bulletin - Quebec: October 2022
This Labour Market Bulletin provides an analysis of Labour Force Survey results for the province of Quebec and its regions.
Overview
After several months of stagnation and small declines, there were employment gains in October (+27,800 or +0.6% compared to September), according to the latest data from Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey. This monthly growth peaked at 4,408,300 jobs, which was slightly higher than the last peak in March 2022 (4,406,000 jobs). There was a significant increase only in full-time jobs (+64,600 or +1.8%), which was tempered by a decline of -36,700 (or -4.5%) in part-time employment. Job gains were mainly among men (+26,400 or +1.2%) and those aged 55 and over (+25,200 or +2.7%). Ontario (+0.6%) and all of Canada (+0.6%) saw job growth comparable to Quebec.
Over 12 months, job gains totaled +99,500 (or +2.3%). However, in comparison with February 2020, growth consisted of only 50,200 jobs (+1.2%). Compared to the pre-pandemic level, there was growth in full-time employment with 78,800 jobs (or +2.2%), but part-time employment remained lower than its level in February 2020 (-28,600 or -3.5%). Among the major age groups, only 15- to 24-year-olds had an employment deficit compared to their pre-pandemic level (-32,500 or -5.3%), while those aged 25 to 54 (+52,200 or +1.9%) and 55 and over (+30,600 or +3.3%) surpassed it.
| Seasonally adjusted monthly data | October 2022 | September 2022 | October 2021 | Monthly variation | Yearly variation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | ||||
| Population 15 + ('000) | 7,181.5 | 7,173.6 | 7,112.3 | 7.9 | 0.1 | 69.2 | 1.0 |
| Labour force ('000) | 4,596.8 | 4,579.9 | 4,562.6 | 16.9 | 0.4 | 34.2 | 0.7 |
| Employment ('000) | 4,408.3 | 4,380.5 | 4,308.8 | 27.8 | 0.6 | 99.5 | 2.3 |
| Full-time ('000) | 3,623.3 | 3,558.7 | 3,548.4 | 64.6 | 1.8 | 74.9 | 2.1 |
| Part-time ('000) | 785.0 | 821.7 | 760.4 | -36.7 | -4.5 | 24.6 | 3.2 |
| Unemployment ('000) | 188.5 | 199.5 | 253.7 | -11.0 | -5.5 | -65.2 | -25.7 |
| Unemployment rate (%) | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.6 | -0.3 | - | -1.5 | - |
| Participation rate (%) | 64.0 | 63.8 | 64.2 | 0.2 | - | -0.2 | - |
| Employment rate (%) | 61.4 | 61.1 | 60.6 | 0.3 | - | 0.8 | - |
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey – Table 14-10-0287
Show data table: Quebec monthly employment and unemployment rate
| Month | Unemployment rate (%) | Employment ('000) |
|---|---|---|
| October 2020 | 7.8 | 4,200.1 |
| November 2020 | 7.3 | 4,214.7 |
| December 2020 | 6.9 | 4,203.5 |
| January 2021 | 8.7 | 4,107.0 |
| February 2021 | 6.6 | 4,221.6 |
| March 2021 | 6.5 | 4,248.3 |
| April 2021 | 6.5 | 4,236.3 |
| May 2021 | 6.4 | 4,229.5 |
| June 2021 | 6.2 | 4,287.0 |
| July 2021 | 6.0 | 4,293.9 |
| August 2021 | 5.8 | 4,286.3 |
| September 2021 | 5.7 | 4,307.8 |
| October 2021 | 5.6 | 4,308.8 |
| November 2021 | 4.5 | 4,364.3 |
| December 2021 | 4.7 | 4,360.4 |
| January 2022 | 5.4 | 4,297.4 |
| February 2022 | 4.5 | 4,378.9 |
| March 2022 | 4.1 | 4,406.0 |
| April 2022 | 3.9 | 4,379.5 |
| May 2022 | 4.2 | 4,384.6 |
| June 2022 | 4.3 | 4,357.6 |
| July 2022 | 4.1 | 4,353.1 |
| August 2022 | 4.5 | 4,380.3 |
| September 2022 | 4.4 | 4,380.5 |
| October 2022 | 4.1 | 4,408.3 |
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey
As a result of the job growth, the number of unemployed people was down from September (-11,000 or -5.5%). Therefore, the unemployment rate decreased by 0.3 percentage points (pp) to 4.1%, which is the lowest unemployment rate among Canadian provinces, but not to its lowest level from last April (3.9%). Finally, the participation rate (+0.2 pp at 64.0%) and the employment rate (+0.3 pp at 61.4%) were up from the previous month.
Compared to February 2020, Quebec's current unemployment rate is lower (-0.5 pp), while the employment rate is still lower (-0.5 pp). On the one hand, the employment rate for 25- to 54-year-olds, the core working-age group in the labour market, was higher than in February 2020 (+1.3 pp), but their weight relative to the population aged 15 and over declined over 21 months. On the other hand, 15- to 24-year-olds (-3.6 pp) and those aged 55 and over (-0.5 pp) never reached their pre-pandemic employment rates. There was a slight decrease in the relative weight of youth among the population aged 15 and over, while that of those aged 55 and over increased, which is indicative of an aging population.
| Seasonally adjusted data |
October 2022 % |
September 2022 % |
October 2021 % |
Monthly variation (% points) |
Yearly variation (% points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.6 | -0.3 | -1.5 |
| 25 years and over | 3.7 | 3.8 | 5.1 | -0.1 | -1.4 |
| Men - 25 years and over | 3.9 | 4.3 | 5.4 | -0.4 | -1.5 |
| Women - 25 years and over | 3.4 | 3.3 | 4.8 | 0.1 | -1.4 |
| 15 to 24 years | 6.9 | 7.8 | 8.4 | -0.9 | -1.5 |
| Men - 15 to 24 years | 6.5 | 9.4 | 10.8 | -2.9 | -4.3 |
| Women - 15 to 24 years | 7.3 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey – Table 14-10-0287
Employment by industry
From an industry perspective, the goods-producing sector added 15,600 jobs (+1.7%) compared to September. This gain was driven primarily by a rebound in construction (+16,800 or +5.9%), even though this industry was moving into negative territory after peaking in March 2022 in the context of consecutive interest rate hikes. However, the forestry, fishing and mining industry was down (-6,100 or -13.2%) from September.
In the service industries, employment increased by 12,200 (+0.4%). The largest gains, in terms of numbers, came from finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+7,400 or +2.8%), other services (+4,600 or +2.9%), information, culture and recreation (+4,200 or +2.5%) and accommodation and food services (+4,000 or +1.9%). However, a few of the service industries saw declines, including transportation and warehousing (-5,200 or -2.3%) and retail and wholesale trade (-4,600 or -0.7%).
| Seasonally adjusted data ('000) | October 2022 | September 2022 | October 2021 | Monthly variation | Yearly variation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | ||||
| Total employed, all industries | 4,408.3 | 4,380.5 | 4,308.8 | 27.8 | 0.6 | 99.5 | 2.3 |
| Goods-producing sector | 924.0 | 908.4 | 887.2 | 15.6 | 1.7 | 36.8 | 4.1 |
| Agriculture | 63.3 | 62.5 | 53.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 10.3 | 19.4 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas | 40.2 | 46.3 | 39.8 | -6.1 | -13.2 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| Utilities | 26.7 | 27.0 | 27.6 | -0.3 | -1.1 | -0.9 | -3.3 |
| Construction | 299.9 | 283.1 | 288.7 | 16.8 | 5.9 | 11.2 | 3.9 |
| Manufacturing | 494.0 | 489.5 | 477.9 | 4.5 | 0.9 | 16.1 | 3.4 |
| Services-producing sector | 3,484.3 | 3,472.1 | 3,421.6 | 12.2 | 0.4 | 62.7 | 1.8 |
| Trade | 644.9 | 649.5 | 648.6 | -4.6 | -0.7 | -3.7 | -0.6 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 218.2 | 223.4 | 227.0 | -5.2 | -2.3 | -8.8 | -3.9 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing | 268.1 | 260.7 | 289.9 | 7.4 | 2.8 | -21.8 | -7.5 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 396.7 | 396.9 | 374.1 | -0.2 | -0.1 | 22.6 | 6.0 |
| Business, building and other support services | 171.5 | 167.8 | 161.2 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 6.4 |
| Educational services | 335.9 | 338.6 | 352.2 | -2.7 | -0.8 | -16.3 | -4.6 |
| Health care and social assistance | 614.3 | 612.8 | 603.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 11.1 | 1.8 |
| Information, culture and recreation | 175.0 | 170.8 | 155.2 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 19.8 | 12.8 |
| Accommodation and food services | 219.1 | 215.1 | 181.4 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 37.7 | 20.8 |
| Other services | 166.0 | 161.4 | 162.1 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 3.9 | 2.4 |
| Public administration | 274.7 | 275.0 | 266.7 | -0.3 | -0.1 | 8.0 | 3.0 |
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey – Table 14-10-0355
Regional analysis
Labour Force Survey data for the economic regions are three-month non-seasonally adjusted moving averages; the October data therefore correspond to an average of August, September and October.
There were job gains in just over half of Quebec's economic regions compared to 12 months ago. The strongest growth (in %) was observed in Chaudière-Appalaches (+24,900 or +11.6%), Lanaudière (+20,700 or +7.9%) and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (+9,200 or +7.6%). On the other hand, seven regions were down, including Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec (-5,300 or -11.0%), Centre-du-Québec (-12,400 or -9.1%), Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (-3,200 or -8.7%) and Mauricie (-6,300 or -5.0%).
Comparing the data with October 2019, that is, a snapshot prior to the pandemic, the economic regions with the strongest growth were Lanaudière (+5.3%), the Laval region (+5.0%), Montérégie (+3.6%) and Chaudière-Appalaches (+3.6%). However, nine regions had lower employment levels than in October 2019. The sharpest declines were in Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec (-21.0%), Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (-5.9%) and Abitibi-Témiscamingue (-4.1%).
Only four regions had higher unemployment rates than in October 2021, but the rate in Mauricie (+2.4 pp at 6.4%) is noteworthy following the loss of 6,300 jobs compared to 12 months earlier (-5.0%). Unemployment rates continue to be historically low in most Quebec regions with nine regions reporting unemployment rates below 4.0%. Specifically, the unemployment rate fell sharply and settled at 1.4% (down 2.5 pp) in Centre-du-Québec and at 1.8% (down 1.5 pp) in Chaudière–Appalaches.
The dynamic remains positive for the Montréal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), with an increase of 81,400 jobs compared to October 2021 (+3.6%). Its unemployment rate is down 1.6 pp at 4.7%, which is a record low since 2006.
| 3-month moving averages seasonally unadjusted data |
Employment | Unemployment rate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2022 ('000) |
October 2021 ('000) |
Yearly variation (%) |
October 2022 (%) |
October 2021 (%) |
Yearly variation (% points) |
|
| Quebec | 4,430.2 | 4,341.1 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 5.4 | -1.2 |
| Economic regions | ||||||
| Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 33.7 | 36.9 | -8.7 | 8.2 | 10.7 | -2.5 |
| Bas-Saint-Laurent | 92.2 | 91.3 | 1.0 | 4.0 | 3.8 | 0.2 |
| Capitale-Nationale | 392.1 | 397.7 | -1.4 | 3.1 | 3.6 | -0.5 |
| Chaudière-Appalaches | 240.1 | 215.2 | 11.6 | 1.8 | 3.3 | -1.5 |
| Estrie | 166.1 | 163.4 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 4.4 | -0.5 |
| Centre-du-Québec | 123.2 | 135.6 | -9.1 | 1.4 | 3.9 | -2.5 |
| Montérégie | 856.4 | 826.0 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 5.0 | -1.8 |
| Montréal | 1,128.5 | 1,089.7 | 3.6 | 5.7 | 7.3 | -1.6 |
| Laval | 219.1 | 229.5 | -4.5 | 5.0 | 7.5 | -2.5 |
| Lanaudière | 281.3 | 260.6 | 7.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 | -0.4 |
| Laurentides | 322.9 | 321.8 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 4.8 | -1.3 |
| Outaouais | 209.9 | 205.7 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 | -0.2 |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 72.4 | 73.2 | -1.1 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 0.1 |
| Mauricie | 119.0 | 125.3 | -5.0 | 6.4 | 4.0 | 2.4 |
| Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean | 130.2 | 121.0 | 7.6 | 3.3 | 5.2 | -1.9 |
| Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec | 43.0 | 48.3 | -11.0 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 0.4 |
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey – Table 14-10-0387
Note
In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Employment and Social Development Canada.
Prepared by: Labour Market Analysis Directorate, Service Canada, Quebec
For further information, please contact the LMI team.
For information on the Labour Force Survey, please visit the Statistics Canada website.
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