Labour Market Bulletin - Quebec: July 2022
This Labour Market Bulletin provides an analysis of Labour Force Survey results for the province of Quebec and its regions.
Overview
According to the most recent data from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey, there was little change in employment in Quebec in July (-4,500 or -0.1%), after having declined more significantly over the past two out of three months. The total gains in full-time jobs (+3,700 or +0.1%) were cancelled out by a decline in part-time jobs (-8,100 or -1.0%). While men saw an increase in employment levels (+20,600 or +0.9%), women's employment level decreased (-25,100 or -1.2%). Losses were observed for those aged 55 or over (-6,900 or -0.7%) and those aged 15 to 24 (-4,700 or -0.8%), while those aged 25-54 saw an increase (+7,200 or +3.3%). Ontario experienced a decline in employment (-27,400 or -0.4%), along with Canada as a whole (-30,600 or -0.2%).
| Seasonally adjusted monthly data | July 2022 | June 2022 | July 2021 | Monthly variation | Yearly variation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | ||||
| Population 15 + ('000) | 7,157.9 | 7,151.2 | 7,098.0 | 6.7 | 0.1 | 59.9 | 0.8 |
| Labour force ('000) | 4,538.3 | 4,551.5 | 4,567.9 | -13.2 | -0.3 | -29.6 | -0.6 |
| Employment ('000) | 4,353.1 | 4,357.6 | 4,293.9 | -4.5 | -0.1 | 59.2 | 1.4 |
| Full-time ('000) | 3,570.1 | 3,566.4 | 3,514.6 | 3.7 | 0.1 | 55.5 | 1.6 |
| Part-time ('000) | 783.1 | 791.2 | 779.3 | -8.1 | -1.0 | 3.8 | 0.5 |
| Unemployment ('000) | 185.1 | 193.9 | 274.0 | -8.8 | -4.5 | -88.9 | -32.4 |
| Unemployment rate (%) | 4.1 | 4.3 | 6.0 | -0.2 | - | -1.9 | - |
| Participation rate (%) | 63.4 | 63.6 | 64.4 | -0.2 | - | -1.0 | - |
| Employment rate (%) | 60.8 | 60.9 | 60.5 | -0.1 | - | 0.3 | - |
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) |
|---|---|---|
| July 2020 | 9.3 | 4,095.9 |
| August 2020 | 8.8 | 4,146.1 |
| September 2020 | 7.6 | 4,210.9 |
| 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 |
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey
On a yearly basis, the labour market has benefitted from the creation of 59,200 jobs, an increase of 1.4%, attributable mainly to full-time jobs (+55,500 or +1.6%) and, to a lesser extent, part-time jobs (+3,800 or 0.5%). However, when compared to the pre-pandemic level (February 2020), Quebec is slightly behind by 5,000 jobs (-0.1%), while Ontario (+2.6%) and the Canada as a whole (+2.2%) have shown employment gains despite the decline recorded in July. In terms of age groups, only those aged 15 to 24 saw a decline in employment (-45,400 or -7.4%), while those aged 25 to 54 (+34,600 or +1.2%) an d 55 or over (+5,800 or +0.6%) remain higher than their respective pre-pandemic levels.
| Seasonally adjusted data |
July 2022 % |
June 2022 % |
July 2021 % |
Monthly variation (% points) |
Yearly variation (% points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 4.1 | 4.3 | 6.0 | -0.2 | -1.9 |
| 25 years and over | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.8 | -0.3 | -2.3 |
| Men - 25 years and over | 4.2 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 0.3 | -1.6 |
| Women - 25 years and over | 2.7 | 3.7 | 5.8 | -1.0 | -3.1 |
| 15 to 24 years | 7.6 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
| Men - 15 to 24 years | 8.0 | 9.2 | 8.5 | -1.2 | -0.5 |
| Women - 15 to 24 years | 7.1 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
Source: Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey – Table 14-10-0287
The number of unemployed individuals declined by 8,800 in July compared to the previous month, a significant decrease of 4.5%. This decline has allowed the unemployment rate to fall by 0.2 percentage points to 4.1%, remaining close to its record low (3.9%) despite stable employment. It remains among the lowest of all Canadian provinces, surpassed by Manitoba (3.5%) and Saskatchewan (4.0%). Note that, in Quebec, only those aged 25 to 54 benefitted from the decline in unemployment compared to the previous month (-0.4 percentage points at 3.2%). While those aged 15 to 24 maintained the highest rate, at 7.6%, with an increase of 0.4 percentage points compared to June.
Stable employment combined with a decline in the labour force, due to some unemployed individuals retiring from the labour force in Quebec in July, explain the decreases recorded in the participation rate (-0.2 percentage points at 63.4%) and employment rate (-0.1 percentage points at 60.8%) compared to the previous month.
Employment by industry
At the industrial level, 6,000 jobs were added to the goods-producing sector, with an increase of 0.7% compared to June. The construction (+0.9%) and manufacturing (+1.0) sectors have seen the largest increase in the workforce. Meanwhile, the services-producing sector lost 10,400 jobs compared to last month, with a decrease of 0.3%. While six industries are experiencing losses, the most notable are in educational services (-13,500 or -3.8%) and trade (-12,100 or -1.8%).
| Seasonally adjusted data ('000) | July 2022 | June 2022 | July 2021 | Monthly variation | Yearly variation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | ||||
| Total employed, all industries | 4,353.1 | 4,357.6 | 4,293.9 | -4.5 | -0.1 | 59.2 | 1.4 |
| Goods-producing sector | 920.9 | 914.9 | 871.2 | 6.0 | 0.7 | 49.7 | 5.7 |
| Agriculture | 56.0 | 57.2 | 58.1 | -1.2 | -2.1 | -2.1 | -3.6 |
| Forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, oil and gas | 43.7 | 41.3 | 37.8 | 2.4 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 15.6 |
| Utilities | 27.2 | 26.0 | 27.3 | 1.2 | 4.6 | -0.1 | -0.4 |
| Construction | 293.5 | 290.9 | 284.1 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 9.4 | 3.3 |
| Manufacturing | 500.6 | 499.6 | 464.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 36.6 | 7.9 |
| Services-producing sector | 3,432.2 | 3,442.6 | 3,422.7 | -10.4 | -0.3 | 9.5 | 0.3 |
| Trade | 643.1 | 655.2 | 656.8 | -12.1 | -1.8 | -13.7 | -2.1 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 233.5 | 222.9 | 227.4 | 10.6 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 2.7 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing | 268.5 | 265.4 | 286.5 | 3.1 | 1.2 | -18.0 | -6.3 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 377.5 | 379.4 | 365.4 | -1.9 | -0.5 | 12.1 | 3.3 |
| Business, building and other support services | 170.2 | 172.3 | 158.7 | -2.1 | -1.2 | 11.5 | 7.2 |
| Educational services | 339.4 | 352.9 | 353.4 | -13.5 | -3.8 | -14.0 | -4.0 |
| Health care and social assistance | 596.9 | 601.2 | 600.1 | -4.3 | -0.7 | -3.2 | -0.5 |
| Information, culture and recreation | 178.5 | 177.1 | 166.6 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 11.9 | 7.1 |
| Accommodation and food services | 191.4 | 184.6 | 195.8 | 6.8 | 3.7 | -4.4 | -2.2 |
| Other services | 155.4 | 156.2 | 158.4 | -0.8 | -0.5 | -3.0 | -1.9 |
| Public administration | 277.7 | 275.4 | 253.5 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 24.2 | 9.5 |
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 July data therefore correspond to an average of May, June and July.
Quebec's annual assessment is divided. Among the economic regions, eight saw an increase in employment, the most significant (by percentage) were in Lanaudière (+22,600 or +8.4%), Chaudière-Appalaches (+18,300 or +8.4%) and Outaouais (+10,800 or +5.3%). At the same time, eight regions saw a decrease in employment, including Mauricie (-10,800 or -8.5%), Laval (-10,800 or -4.7%) and Côte-Nord & Nord-du-Québec (- 2,300 or -4.6 %).
In comparison with July 2021, every economic region experienced a decrease in unemployment rate, 12 of which saw a rate equal to or less than 4%. The most significant declines were observed in Montréal (-3.7 percentage points at 6.0%), Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (-2.2 percentage points at 3.5%), Outaouais (-2.2 percentage points at 2.9%), and Centre-du-Québec (-2.2 percentage points at 1.7%). This last region, as well as Chaudière-Appalaches (1.5%), have unemployment rates under 2%.
| 3-month moving averages seasonally unadjusted data |
Employment | Unemployment rate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2022 ('000) |
July 2021 ('000) |
Yearly variation (%) |
July 2022 (%) |
July 2021 (%) |
Yearly variation (% points) |
|
| Quebec | 4,440.1 | 4,345.2 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 6.0 | -2.0 |
| Economic regions | ||||||
| Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 36.5 | 37.0 | -1.4 | 6.6 | 8.2 | -1.6 |
| Bas-Saint-Laurent | 91.0 | 92.1 | -1.2 | 2.8 | 3.6 | -0.8 |
| Capitale-Nationale | 402.7 | 387.8 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 3.7 | -0.9 |
| Chaudière-Appalaches | 235.6 | 217.3 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 3.1 | -1.6 |
| Estrie | 161.3 | 162.6 | -0.8 | 2.9 | 4.4 | -1.5 |
| Centre-du-Québec | 133.2 | 130.7 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 3.9 | -2.2 |
| Montérégie | 839.7 | 832.6 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 5.2 | -1.6 |
| Montréal | 1,129.1 | 1,082.3 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 9.7 | -3.7 |
| Laval | 220.8 | 231.6 | -4.7 | 5.4 | 6.7 | -1.3 |
| Lanaudière | 292.8 | 270.2 | 8.4 | 2.7 | 3.6 | -0.9 |
| Laurentides | 318.3 | 322.3 | -1.2 | 4.4 | 5.3 | -0.9 |
| Outaouais | 212.7 | 201.9 | 5.3 | 2.9 | 5.1 | -2.2 |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 75.1 | 76.2 | -1.4 | 2.8 | 3.8 | -1.0 |
| Mauricie | 116.9 | 127.7 | -8.5 | 3.5 | 5.2 | -1.7 |
| Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean | 126.5 | 122.8 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 5.7 | -2.2 |
| Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec | 47.9 | 50.2 | -4.6 | 4.0 | 4.2 | -0.2 |
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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