Chaudière-Appalaches (12) Region - Socioeconomic Profile

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Region and Population

• In 2009, the Chaudière-Appalaches was divided into 10 RCMs and comprised 136 municipalities and no territories.
• The Chaudière-Appalaches covered 1.2% of the area of the Province of Quebec in 2009 (15,070.9 km²).
• With a population of 403,011 in 2009, the region accounted for 5.1% of Quebec’s population.
• The ISQ forecasts population growth (8.9 %) in the Chaudière-Appalaches between 2006 and 2031 (+15.8% in Quebec) and aging of the population owing to
  • Natural decrease (deaths > births starting in 2025);
  • Positive inter-regional net migration, marked, however, by the exodus of young people.
• The ISQ predicts a 12.2-percentage-point decrease between 2006 and 2031 in persons of working age (20-64 years), from 63.0% to 50.8%, which is lower than the Quebec percentage (-9.3 percentage points, from 63.4% to 54.1%).

Distribution of the Chaudière-Appalaches’ population by age

Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

The Chaudière-Appalaches’ inter-regional net migration by age (2004-2009)

Source: Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

Labour Market

• In 2009, there were 208,200 people with jobs in the Chaudière-Appalaches, a 0.7% increase over 2008, and the region accounted for 5.4% of people with jobs in Quebec (3,844,200 jobs).
• In 2009, Chaudière-Appalaches recorded an unemployment rate that was 2.6 percentage points lower than the Quebec average (5.9% vs. 8.5%).
• The Chaudière-Appalaches’ employment and labour participation rates in 2009, 62.7% and 66.6% respectively, remained higher than Quebec rates (59.7% and 65.2%).
• The ISQ anticipates increased labour scarcity in the Chaudière-Appalaches, forecasting that the labour replacement index will drop from 97% to 65% between 2006 and 2021, and then rise to 82% in 2031.

Economic Activities

• In 2008, the gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices (in current $) was $12,589.0 M in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, accounting for 4.4% of Quebec’s GDP ($283,217 M).
• GDP per job, an approximation of labour productivity, was $70,198 in 2006 in the Chaudière-Appalaches, compared with $77,678 for all of Quebec. The Chaudière-Appalaches’ productivity would therefore be lower than Quebec’s.
• The key sectors in the Chaudière-Appalaches are:
  • Agri-food
  • Materials processing (composite materials and plastics)
  • Technical textiles and materials
  • Forest products and secondary wood processing
• The primary sector accounted for 6.6% of the workforce in the Chaudière-Appalaches in 2006 (compared with 2.6% in Quebec), the construction sector for 3.6% (2.9%), the manufacturing sector for 27.0% (15.4%), and the tertiary sector for 62.8% (79.0%).

In 2009, tourism in the Chaudière-Appalaches generated 4,700 jobs and 1,412 businesses were involved in the tourism sector.

• The Chaudière-Appalaches was visited by 1,352,000 tourists, who spent a total of $174 M in the region (2008).
• Although only 7.7% of tourists came from outside Quebec, they accounted for 19% of total spending (2008).

Businesses

Distribution of businesses by size (2009)

Micro = 1-4 employees, Small = 5-19 employees, Medium = 20-199 employees, Large and very large = 200 employees or more
Source: Statistics Canada, Business Register (June 2009).

• The main non-governmental employers (1,000+ employees) are:
  • Fédération des Caisses Desjardins (financial services)
  • Olymel (slaughterhouse)
  • Prévost Car (bus manufacturing)
• In terms of entrepreneurship, the Chaudière-Appalaches had 42.7 SMEs per 1,000 residents in 2009, ranking 5th out of 16 regions of Quebec (average of 37.6 SMEs per 1,000 residents in Quebec).

Exports

In 2007, the Chaudière-Appalaches had 504 exporting establishments and the value of exports was $2,394.7 M, accounting for 3.4% of Quebec exports.

• Though 90.1% of the Chaudière-Appalaches’ exporting establishments were SMEs, they accounted for only 58.8% of the value of exports (2007).
• The United States was the main destination for exports from the Chaudière-Appalaches (87.6% of the total value), followed by the European Union (3.8%) and South America (1.2%) (2007).

Investment, research and innovation

• Public investment dropped by 8.7% in 2009 to $704.0 M, accounting for 26.8% of total capital expenditures in the Chaudière-Appalaches ($2,627.9 M). The region’s public investment comprised 3.5% of Quebec public investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, public investment grew at an average annual rate of 24.3% in the Chaudière-Appalaches, compared with 12.4% in Quebec.
• Private investment dropped by 7.0% in 2009 to $1,923.9 M, accounting for 73.2% of all capital expenditures in the Chaudière-Appalaches ($2,627.9 M). The region’s private investment accounted for 4.8% of Quebec private investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, private investment decreased at an average annual rate of 1.5% in the Chaudière-Appalaches, compared with 0.9% growth in Quebec.

Highest level of educational attainment, 25-64 years (2006)

* Diplomas or certificates from trade schools, nursing schools, community colleges, CEGEPs, university certificate below bachelor’s level, etc.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.

Examples of research, expertise, training and technology transfer centres in the Chaudière-Appalaches:

Centres collégiaux de transfert de technologie (CCTT):

• Centre de robotique et de vision industrielles
• Centre de technologie minérale et de plasturgie
• MECANIUM - Centre d’innovations en mécanique industrielle
• OLEOTEK - Centre collégial de transfert de technologie en oléochimie industrielle
• Trans Bio Tech - Centre de recherche et de transfert en biotechnologies

Economic Well-Being

• In 2008, the per capita GDP in the Chaudière-Appalaches was $31,314, that is, $5,228, or 14.3%, below the Quebec average ($36,542).
• Personal disposable income per capita for the Chaudière-Appalaches region was $24,574 in 2008, that is, $930, or 3.6%, below the Quebec average ($25,504/resident). The Chaudière-Appalaches ranked 9th out of the 17 regions.
• In 2008, per capita government transfers to the Chaudière-Appalaches region ($5,307/resident), are slightly lower than the Quebec average $5,523/resident).
• However, the percentage of the population in a situation of low income after tax was lower in the Chaudière-Appalaches (10.4%) than in the province as a whole (15.2%).