Mauricie (04) Region - Socioeconomic Profile

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Region and Population

• In 2009, the Mauricie was divided into 6 RCMs and comprised 42 municipalities and 7 other types of territories.
• The Mauricie covered 2.7% of the area of the Province of Quebec in 2009 (35,451.7 km²).
• With a population of 262,399 in 2009, the Mauricie accounted for 3.4% of Quebec’s population.
• The ISQ forecasts population growth (5.5%) in the Mauricie between 2006 and 2031 (+15.8% in Quebec) and significant aging of the population owing to :
  • Natural decrease (deaths > births since 2006);
  • Positive inter-regional net migration, marked by the exodus of young people and the arrival of workers and retirees. 
• The ISQ predicts a 13.1-percentage-point decrease between 2006 and 2031 in persons of working age (20-64 years), from 62.3% to 49.2%, which is lower than the Quebec percentage (-9.3 percentage points, from 63.4% to 54.1%).

Distribution of the Mauricie’s population by age

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

The Mauricie’s inter-regional net migration by age (2004-2009)

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

Labour Market

• In 2009, there were 113,200 people with jobs in the Mauricie, a 3.0% decrease from 2008, and the region accounted for 2.9% of people with jobs in Quebec (3,844,200 jobs).
• In 2009, the Mauricie recorded an unemployment rate that was 1.1 percentage points higher than the Quebec average (9.6% vs. 8.5%).
• The Mauricie’s employment and labour participation rates in 2009, 51.7% and 57.2% respectively, were still lower than Quebec rates (59.7% and 65.2%).
• The ISQ anticipates increased labour scarcity in the Mauricie, forecasting that the labour replacement index will drop from 86% to 59% between 2006 and 2021 and then rise to 79% by 2031.

Economic Activities

• In 2008, the gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices (in current $) was $7,768.8 M in the Mauricie region, accounting for 2.7% of Quebec’s GDP ($283,217 M).
• GDP per job, an approximation of labour productivity, was $72,961 in 2006 in the Mauricie, compared with $77,678 for all of Quebec. The Mauricie’s productivity would therefore be lower than Quebec’s.
• The key sectors in the Mauricie are:
  • Energy and environment
  • Forest products and secondary transformation of wood (furniture)
  • Green industries and sustainable development
  • Metallurgy
  • Tourism
• The primary sector accounted for 3.1% of the workforce in the Mauricie in 2006 (compared with 2.6% in Quebec), the construction sector for 3.7% (2.9%), the manufacturing sector for 17.9% (15.4%), and the tertiary sector for 75.2% (79.0%).

In 2009, tourism in the Mauricie generated 4,000 jobs and 1,111 businesses were involved in the tourism sector.

• The Mauricie was visited by 1,177,000 tourists, who spent a total of $257 M in the region (2008).
• Although only 8.9% of tourists came from outside Quebec, they accounted for 15.3% 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 (500+ employees) are:
  • Smurfit Stone (cardboard manufacturing)
  • Marmen (machine shop)
  • Meubles Canadel (furniture manufacturing)
• In terms of entrepreneurship, the Mauricie had 36.8 SMEs per 1,000 residents in 2009, ranking 10th out of Quebec’s 16 regions (average of 37.6 SMEs per 1,000 residents in Quebec).

Exports

In 2007, the Mauricie had 145 exporting establishments and the value of exports was $2,067.1 M, accounting for 2.9% of Quebec exports.

• Though 87.6% of the Mauricie’s exporting establishments were SMEs, they accounted for only 35.5% of the value of exports (2007).
• The United States was the main destination for exports from the Mauricie (91.6% of the total value), followed by Japan (4.6%), the European Union (1.2%), South America (0.4%) and Mexico (0.1%) (2007).

Investment, research and innovation

• Public investment dropped by 24.4% in 2009 to $661.6 M, accounting for 36.7% of total capital expenditures in the Mauricie ($1,803.1 M). The region’s public investment comprised 3.3% of Quebec public investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, public investment grew at an average annual rate of 11.7% in the Mauricie, compared with 12.4% in Quebec.
• Private investment dropped by 0.2% in 2009 to $1,141.5 M, accounting for 63.3% of all capital expenditures in the Mauricie ($1,803.1 M). The region’s private investment accounted for 2.8% of Quebec private investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, private investment grew at an average annual rate of 5.0% in the Mauricie, compared with 0.9% 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 Mauricie:

• Institut de recherche sur l'hydrogène
• Centres collégiaux de transfert de technologie (CCTT):
  • Centre collégial de transfert de technologie en télécommunications
  • Centre de métallurgie du Québec
  • Centre national en électrochimie et en technologies environnementales
  • Centre spécialisé en pâtes et papiers
• Chairs, laboratories and working groups at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Economic Well-Being

• In 2008, the per capita GDP in the Mauricie was $29,635, that is, $6,907, or 18.9%, below the Quebec average ($36,542).
• Personal disposable income per capita for the Mauricie region was $22,720 in 2008, that is, $2,783, or 10.9%, below the Quebec average ($25,504/resident). The Mauricie ranked 15th out of the 17 regions.
• In 2008, per capita government transfers to the Mauricie region ($6,444/resident) were 16.7% higher than the Quebec average ($5,523/resident).
• The percentage of the population in a situation of low income after tax was higher in the Mauricie (16.5%) than in the province as a whole (15.2%).