Highlights
- The Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) added 4,900 jobs from March to April for a total of 437,300, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey.
- Employment growth stood at 1.1%, outpacing workforce growth (0.8%). As a result, the unemployment rate dipped by 0.3 points to 5% in March. This was the lowest rate in the province of Quebec and among Canada's other major metropolitan regions, edging out Calgary (5.3%) and Edmonton (5.8%).
- In the province of Quebec, the number of jobs rose by 11,700 on a monthly basis as unemployment dropped by 0.1 points to 7.4%.
Commentary
The month of April was a good one for Quebec City's labour market. The region posted a total of 437,300 jobs, up 4,900 from March. In addition, Quebec City's unemployment rate was 5%, one of the lowest in the province as well as across Canada.
The services sector showed signs of improvement in April. The number of workers picked up in the areas of healthcare, social services, educational services and public administration. The manufacturing and construction sectors showed modest improvements, spurred on in part by the gradual US recovery and the favourable exchange rate. The construction sector could become more dynamic by the end of spring due to the number of major private and public projects underway and yet to come. The labour market's performance was boosted by gains in full-time as well as part-time employment.
The labour market's performance in early spring was excellent, with 4,900 jobs created in April. The low unemployment rate also served as a reminder that the demand for qualified workers is still high in the region. In this regard, Quebec International will be organizing a third online recruiting mission in the fall targeting qualified workers in Latin America.
Rocio Martire-Mulhall
Economist
Quebec International
