Outaouais (07) Region - Socioeconomic Profile

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Region and Population

• In 2009, the Outaouais was divided into 5 RCMs and comprised 67 municipalities and 8 territories.
• The Outaouais covered 2.3% of the area of the Province of Quebec in 2009 (30,503.8 km²).
• With a population of 358,872 in 2009, the Outaouais accounted for 4.6% of Quebec’s population.
• The ISQ forecasts significant population growth (23.7%) in the Outaouais between 2006 and 2031 (+15.8% in Quebec) and aging of the population owing to
  • Positive natural increase;
  • High migratory increase.
• The ISQ predicts a 10.0-percentage-point decrease between 2006 and 2031 in persons of working age (20-64 years), from 64.5% to 54.5%, which is close to the Quebec percentage (9.3 percentage points, from 63.4% to 54.1%).

Distribution of the Outaouais’ population by age

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

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

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

Labour Market

• In 2009, there were 193,200 people with jobs in the Ouatouais, a 3.1% decrease from 2008, and the region accounted for 5.0% of people with jobs in Quebec (3,844,200 jobs).
• In 2009, the Outaouais recorded an unemployment rate that was 2.2 percentage points lower than the Quebec average (6.3% vs. 8.5%).
• The Outaouais’ employment and labour participation rates in 2009, 64.6% and 68.9% respectively, remained higher than Quebec rates (59.7% and 65.2%).
• The ISQ anticipates increased labour scarcity in the Outaouais, forecasting that the labour replacement index will drop from 110% to 75% between 2006 and 2021 and then rise to 88% by 2031.

Economic Activities

• In 2008, the gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices (in current $) was $9,989.5 M in the Outaouais region, accounting for 3.5% of Quebec’s GDP ($283,217 M).
• GDP per job, an approximation of labour productivity, was $74,867 in 2006 in the Outaouais, compared with $77,678 for all of Quebec. The Outaouais’ productivity would therefore be slightly lower than Quebec’s.
• The key sectors in the Outaouais are:
  • Agri-food
  • High-tech (Ottawa clusters)
  • Wood production and processing (hardwood)
  • Language technology
  • Tourism
• The primary sector accounted for 1.9% of the workforce in the Outaouais in 2006 (compared with 2.6% in Quebec), the construction sector for 2.8% (2.9%), the manufacturing sector for 5.5% (15.4%), and the tertiary sector for 89.8% (79.0%).

In 2009, tourism in the Outaouais generated 6,400 jobs and 1,007 businesses were involved in the tourism sector.

• The Outaouais was visited by 1,387,000 tourists, who spent a total of $243 M in the region (2008).
• Although only 28.5% of tourists came from outside Quebec, they accounted for 40.2% 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:
  • Abitibi Bowater (paper manufacturing)
  • Bell Canada (telecommunications)
  • Bellai & Frères Constructions ltée (poured concrete)
• In terms of entrepreneurship, the Outaouais had 25.0 SMEs per 1,000 residents in 2009, ranking last out of 16 regions of Quebec (average of 37.6 SMEs per 1,000 residents in Quebec).

Exports

In 2007, the Outaouais had 66 exporting establishments and the value of exports was $551.3 M, accounting for 0.8% of Quebec exports.

• Though 89.4% of the Outaouais’ exporting establishments were SMEs, they accounted for only 70.7% of the value of exports (2007).
• The United States was the main destination for exports from the Outaouais (95.6% of the total value), followed by the European Union (2.0%) (2007).

Investment, research and innovation

• Public investment dropped by 34.6% in 2009 to $751.0 M, accounting for 32.8% of total capital expenditures in the Outaouais ($2,289.8 M). The region’s public investment comprised 3.7% of Quebec public investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, public investment grew at an average annual rate of 6.8% in the Outaouais, compared with 12.4% in Quebec.
• Private investment increased by 18.5% in 2009 to $1,538.8 M, accounting for 67.2% of all capital expenditures in the Outaouais ($2,289.8 M). The region’s private investment accounted for 3.8% of Quebec private investment in 2009. Over the period of 2004 to 2009, private investment decreased at an average annual rate of 1.6% in the Outaouais, 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 Outaouais:

• Language Technologies Research Centre
• Centre de recherche et de développement technologique agricole de l'Outaouais
• Centre de développement d’entreprises technologiques
• Chairs, laboratories and working groups at the Université du Québec en Outaouais

Economic Well-Being

• In 2008, the per capita GDP in the Outaouais was $28,382, that is, $8,160, or 22.3%, below the Quebec average ($36,542).
• Personal disposable income per capita for the Outaouais region was $24,345 in 2008, that is, $1,158, or 4.5%, below the Quebec average ($25,504/resident). The Outaouais ranked 11th out of the 17 regions.
• In 2008, per capita government transfers to the Outaouais region ($4,581/resident.) were 17.1% lower than the Quebec average ($5,523/resident).
• The percentage of the population in a situation of low income after tax was lower in the Outaouais (14.3%) than in the province as a whole (15.2%).