Highlights
- The Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) created 5,800 jobs in November, the second highest number in Canada behind Montreal (+11,000 jobs).
- Quebec City recorded a total of 420,800 jobs, offsetting the decline observed during the summer.
- Unemployment stood at 4.9%, coming in under the 5% mark for the 13th month in a row.
- In the province of Quebec, 8,600 jobs were added over the past month. The unemployment rate was 7.2%, down from 7.5% in October.
Commentary
In November, the services sector continued to show signs of recovery, although some components are still lagging behind. The hiring outlook improved in the commercial sector, as well as in professional, scientific and technical services, financial services and insurance, transportation services and storage. The demand for labour also held steady in the manufacturing sector in November. As regards the construction industry, the end of the peak period tamped down the demand for workers somewhat.
Due to the gradual recovery of the labour market this fall, it is very likely that employment in the Quebec City CMA will finish off the year virtually where it was at the end of 2012. Although no gains have been made in this regard, the demand for labour, particularly for qualified workers, is still high, as indicated by the low unemployment rate last month (4.9%).
Louis Gagnon
Senior Economist
Quebec International
