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Labour Market Bulletin
Quebec

August 2011

Labour force trends - Employment growth slowed in August

  • Despite the ups and downs in Quebec during the last six months, employment is growing at a slower pace compared to last year.
  • The slowdown in growth is due to a sharp decline in part-time employment; given that during the early post-recession period (fall 2009 to summer 2010), businesses relied more on part-time employees to support recovery, thereby generating stronger growth in this type of employment.
  • The growth in full-time employment was slow, and the full-time employment rate decreased compared to part-time employment; however, employment has been growing since the summer of 2009.
  • The Quebec unemployment rate was 7.6% in August 2011, which is a decrease of half a percentage point compared to August 2010.
  • The participation rate in Quebec also fell last month because of declining employment and labour force participation among young people aged 15 to 24.
Seasonally Adjusted Data ('000)  August
2011 		 July
2011 		 August
2010 		 Monthly Variation  Yearly Variation 
# % # %
Population 15 + ('000) 6,585.6 6,579.0 6,517.2 6.6 0.1% 68.4 1.0%
Labour Force ('000) 4,295.9 4,283.6 4,278.6 12.3 0.3% 17.3 0.4%
Employment ('000) 3,970.0 3,974.5 3,931.7 -4.5 -0.1% 38.3 1.0%
Full-time ('000) 3,219.0 3,186.7 3,150.5 32.3 1.0% 68.5 2.2%
Part-Time ('000) 751.1 787.8 781.2 -36.7 -4.7% -30.1 -3.9%
Unemployment ('000) 325.8 309.1 346.9 16.7 5.4% -21.1 -6.1%
Participation Rate (%) 65.2% 65.1% 65.7% 0.1   -0.5  
Unemployment Rate (%) 7.6% 7.2% 8.1% 0.4   -0.5  
Employment Rate (%) 60.3% 60.4% 60.3% -0.1   0.0  

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey - HRSDC Table CD1T47sa

Employment declined in Montréal and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions

  • Employment decreased only in the Montréal and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean regions in August 2011 compared with August 2010. In addition, there was a slight decrease in employment (-100 jobs) in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region compared to last year.
  • In Montréal, 21,000 jobs were lost last year, representing a 2% decrease in the workforce. Although in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region the number of jobs decreased only by 3,200, this loss had a greater impact on the regional labour market (-2.6%).
  • The employment rate increased in half of the other Quebec regions (Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord/Nord-du-Québec, Centre-du-Québec, Chaudière-Appalaches, Capitale-Nationale and Lanaudière) compared to last month, while the rest of the regions showed a decrease in the employment rate.

Employment and Unemployment Rate for Quebec August 2011

The data table for this graph is located below

Show Data Table

Employment and Unemployment Rate Quebec August 2009 to August 2011
Month Employment (000) Unemployment (%)
August 2009 3,828.8 9.1%
September 2009 3,831.1 8.7%
October 2009 3,836.1 8.3%
November 2009 3,857.4 8.1%
December 2009 3,858.4 8.4%
January 2010 3,864.6 8.0%
February 2010 3,873.3 8.1%
March 2010 3,879.6 8.0%
April 2010 3,914.6 7.9%
May 2010 3,909.3 8.0%
June 2010 3,939.7 7.8%
July 2010   3,918.8 8.2%
August 2010 3,938.2 8.2%
September 2010 3,953.4 7.7%
October 2010 3,949.6 8.0%
November 2010 3,935.5 7.9%
December 2010 3,960.2 7.6%
January 2011 3,956.8 7.9%
February 2011 3,964.8 7.7%
March 2011 3,950.1 7.7%
April 2011 3,956.0 7.8%
May 2011 3,980.8 7.3%
June 2011 3,965.3 7.9%
July 2011 3,974.5 7.2%
August 2011 3,970.0 7.6%

Employment by industry - The slow employment growth affected different industries

  • Employment growth rates decreased slightly compared with previous months.
  • Employment continued to decline in the manufacturing sector in Quebec, while the construction sector continued its 2008 growth trend, interrupted only by the recession in 2009.
  • The services-producing sector has been responsible for 97% of employment growth during the last year in Quebec.
  • The impact of the services-producing sector on the labour market activity is greater than its share in the industrial employment structure, since this sector accounts for 78.5% of the employment in Quebec.
Seasonally Adjusted Data ('000) August
2011		 July
2011		 August
2010		 Monthly Variation Yearly Variation
# % # %
Total 3,970.0 3,974.5 3,931.7 -4.5 -0.1% 38.3 1.0%
Goods-Producing Sector 853.4 853.0 852.1 0.4 0.0% 1.3 0.2%
Agriculture 56.0 55.7 52.4 0.3 0.5% 3.6 6.9%
Natural resources 33.6 32.1 34.5 1.5 4.7% -0.9 -2.6%
Utilities 30.8 30.7 31.0 0.1 0.3% -0.2 -0.6%
Construction 243.1 244.9 234.2 -1.8 -0.7% 8.9 3.8%
Manufacturing 489.8 489.7 500.0 0.1 0.0% -10.2

-2.0%
Services Sector 3,116.7 3,121.5 3,079.6 -4.8 -0.2% 37.1 1.2%
Trade 667.7 664.8 630.5 2.9 0.4% 37.2 5.9%
Transportation & Warehousing 182.8 186.6 168.1 -3.8 -2.0% 14.7 8.7%
Finance, Insurance, Real Estate & Leasing 229.3 232.8 222.4 -3.5 -1.5% 6.9 3.1%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 301.2 307.7 308.9 -6.5 -2.1% -7.7 -2.5%
Business, building and other supports services 140.0 151.3 147.1 -11.3 -7.5% -7.1 -4.8%
Educational Services 268.3 254.3 258.0 14.0 5.5% 10.3 4.0%
Health Care & Social Assistance 514.5 509.0 515.9 5.5 1.1% -1.4 -0.3%
Information, culture and recreation 168.4 172.3 171.1 -3.9 -2.3% -2.7 -1.6%
Accommodation & Food Services 240.8 255.4 245.8 -14.6 -5.7% -5.0 -2.0%
Other Services 171.8 166.0 169.3 5.8 3.5% 2.5 1.5%
Public Administration 231.9 221.5 242.4 10.4 4.7% -10.5 -4.3%

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey - HRSDC Table CD1T48sa

Prepared by: Labour Market Analysis Directorate, Service Canada, Québec region

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Date Modified:
2011-12-05