Overview of the Quebec Labour Market - September 2008
See table: Labour market indicators for the province of Quebec
Discrepancy between economic conditions and Labour Force Survey figures
The labour market is slow to react to the economic slowdown, since employers tend to make labour cuts only after they see a drop in revenues. If the financial crisis were to spread to other sectors and affect the employment level, we would see the negative impact on figures only after a few months.
In Quebec
In Quebec, the employment level made a surprising big jump, with 32,000 jobs being added in September. As a result, the unemployment rate dropped 0.4 percentage points, to 7.3%. In the first nine months of the year, the number of workers see-sawed back and forth, as gains in several sectors (health care and social assistance, manufacturing, construction, and information, culture and recreation) were offset by almost equivalent declines in wholesale and retail trade, agriculture and other services.
The number of workers in the Montreal CMA dipped slightly in the first two quarters. It is now lower than in late 2007 and early 2008. The unemployment rate in the CMA has been rising and is now higher than the provincial average.
In Canada
In the rest of Canada, employment posted a gain of 76,000 new jobs in September, almost entirely attributable to an increase in the number of part-time workers. Nevertheless, the unemployment rate in the rest of Canada was 5.8% in September, as the number of people looking for work exceeded the number of those who found employment. The new jobs were mainly in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. The employment gains benefited groups who are usually more open to part-time work (under 30 hours a week), that is, young people, people aged 55 years or over and women in the principal working age group (aged 25 to 54).
In the United States
As for our neighbours to the south, the unemployment rate held steady at 6.1%. Nevertheless, it is continuing to its highest level in 14 years. The US economy eliminated 159,000 non-agricultural jobs in September, double the monthly losses reported since the beginning of the year. It was the ninth consecutive month of employment losses, while in Canada employment rose, although not as fast as in 2007, in the same period.
Note: The figures on this page are based on seasonally adjusted data. For more detailed information on LFS data, visit the Statistics Canada Website.
Labour market indicators for the province of Quebec
| Economic region | Three-month period ending | Unemployment rate (%) | Employment rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey.
|
|||
| Quebec total | September 2008 | 7.0 | 61.8 |
| September 2007 | 6.6 | 62.3 | |
| Gaspésie – Îles-de-la-Madeleine | September 2008 | 12.9 | 53.7 |
| September 2007 | 13.0 | 47.7 | |
| Bas-Saint-Laurent | September 2008 | 7.7 | 57.8 |
| September 2007 | 6.6 | 56.2 | |
| Québec, capital | September 2008 | 3.8 | 64.0 |
| September 2007 | 4.1 | 65.2 | |
| Chaudière-Appalache | September 2008 | 4.0 | 63.9 |
| September 2007 | 4.3 | 64.7 | |
| Estrie | September 2008 | 5.4 | 59.4 |
| September 2007 | 6.0 | 60.8 | |
| Centre-du-Québec | September 2008 | 6.8 | 63.3 |
| September 2007 | 5.3 | 61.1 | |
| Montérégie | September 2008 | 7.1 | 63.9 |
| September 2007 | 5.9 | 64.7 | |
| Île-de-Montréal | September 2008 | 8.6 | 60.8 |
| September 2007 | 8.4 | 61.2 | |
| Laval | September 2008 | 6.6 | 66.1 |
| September 2007 | 4.0 | 68.0 | |
| Lanaudière | September 2008 | 5.9 | 62.0 |
| September 2007 | 8.2 | 64.0 | |
| Laurentide | September 2008 | 7.1 | 60.6 |
| September 2007 | 6.6 | 66.1 | |
| Outaouais | September 2008 | 5.3 | 68.8 |
| September 2007 | 6.4 | 64.9 | |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue | September 2008 | 7.2 | 60.9 |
| September 2007 | 9.4 | 57.8 | |
| Mauricie | September 2008 | 9.2 | 54.1 |
| September 2007 | 8.2 | 53.0 | |
| Saguenay – Lac-Saint-Jean | September 2008 | 7.6 | 55.7 |
| September 2007 | 7.0 | 57.8 | |
| Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec | September 2008 | 10.0 | 56.9 |
| September 2007 | 5.6 | 56.7 | |
| Montreal CMA | September 2008 | 7.4 | 62.6 |
| September 2007 | 7.1 | 63.8 | |
Note: The table above shows that over the past three months, compared to the same period in 2007, the labour market was less favourable to residents of the Montreal CMA (mainly those in Île-de-Montréal, Laval and neighbouring suburbs). Performance was also poor in Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean, Côte-Nord and Mauricie. In contrast, results were positive for people living in Capitale-Nationale, Outaouais, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Chaudière-Appalaches. Conditions barely changed in the other regions.
