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Quebec City region: employment growth slowsHighlightsComments

Fall in the Quebec City CMA may well be similar to the summer, at least in terms of the labour market. The number of jobs is still at historically high levels, although it is more sustainable than it was one year ago. The region finished off October with a total of 416,200 jobs, down 15,000 year-over-year.

Highlights

  • According to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, employment grew slowly in the Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) in October.
  • The region finished off October with a total of 416,200 jobs, down 15,000 from one year ago.
  • However, the creation of 1,100 jobs between September and October 2012 points to improved prospects by early 2013.
  • The region finished off October with an unemployment rate of 5.4%, one of the lowest levels in Canada.
  • In the province of Quebec, a total of 67,300 jobs were added in October on an annualized basis. Unemployment fell by 0.3 points to 7.7%.

Comments

The services sector is still driving employment growth in the region, although gains have been offset by the standstill in the construction and manufacturing sectors, where the drop in full-time workers has not been offset by the increase in part-timers.

It thus seems unlikely that the strong performance of 2011 will be repeated this year, particularly due to ongoing global uncertainties. However, the demand for labour is still high in Quebec City, as evidenced by the low unemployment rate (5.4%). In addition, the data for October indicated an increase of 1,100 jobs since September. This could mean that job creation will resume by early 2013.

 

Louis Gagnon
Senior Economist
Quebec International