Montréal, July 10, 2020. – In June 2020, employment was up 247,500 (+6.5%) in Québec from May 2020. The unemployment rate fell 3.0 percentage points in June to 10.7%. These are the main highlights of the employment and labour force data based on the results of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey released today.
Employment increased by 478,400 in the last two months, which represents more than half (58%) of the 820,500 jobs lost between February and April 2020.
In June, full-time employment increased by 107,200 and part-time employment by 140,300. Employment increased in both the private (+247,700) and public sectors (+11,400), but dropped among the self-employed (-11,700). The participation rate increased by 1.7 percentage points to 63.6% while the employment rate rose 3.4 percentage points to 56.8%.
In Canada, employment in June rose by 952,900 (+5.8%). The unemployment rate fell 1.4 percentage points to 12.3%. The largest employment gains were recorded in Québec, Ontario (+377,900), British Columbia (+118,100) and Alberta (+91,600).
In the first six months of 2020, employment in Québec decreased by 277,000 compared with the same period of the previous year. Over this period, full-time employment fell by 124,900 and part-time employment by 152,100. Since the beginning of 2020, the unemployment rate in Québec has averaged 9.7% (9.6% in Canada).
Word of caution regarding the effects of COVID-19 on EPA data
As in March, April and May, the labour market effects of the COVID-19 crisis in June should be interpreted with caution when analyzing the Labour Force Survey (LFS) results.
The survey reference period for June is June 14 to 20. Therefore, the effects on employment and unemployment of certain measures taken by the Québec government during this period were potentially measured by the survey, including the reopening of restaurants (outside Montréal), childcare services, retail businesses, shopping centres, museums, libraries and other cultural venues, campgrounds, swimming pools, hair salons and other personal-care services, as well as the resumption of non-contact outdoor sports activities. Because the reopening of restaurants in the Greater Montréal area and the resumption of indoor sports activities took place on June 22, which is after the reference week, the effects are not measured in this edition of the LFS.
The correct categorization of a person’s labour force status according to the usual definitions of employment, unemployment1 and inactivity may have been more difficult in this edition of the survey.
In addition, the earlier introduction of containment measures in some provinces and their gradual phase-out at a different rate from one province to another may affect interprovincial comparisons.
A longer analysis period is necessary to assess the trend effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Québec labour market. It should also be noted that monthly data are based on a sample and are therefore subject to a certain amount of variability. Statistics Canada’s The Daily provides detailed analyses of the pandemic’s impact on the labour market in June 2020.
The LFS estimates for administrative regions, seasonally adjusted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, are published as three-month moving averages to smooth out irregular fluctuations due to small sample sizes. For more information on the interpretation of these data, please refer to the document Quelques rappels concernant les moyennes mobiles sur trois mois (MM3M) (in French only).
1 The Labour Force Survey defines unemployed persons as those who, during the reference week : 1- were on temporary layoff with an expectation of recall and were available for work; or 2- were without work, had looked for work in the past four weeks, and were available for work; or 3- had a new job to start within four weeks, and were available for work.
Changes in employment and trend-cycle data, Québec, June 2019 to June 2020
Note: Trend-cycle data are a smoothed version of seasonally adjusted data where the effects of irregular movements have been reduced. They are helpful in analyzing long-term changes in the data. For more information: Statistics Canada, Trend-cycle estimates – Frequently asked questions.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2020. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Changes in the unemployment rate, Québec, June 2019 to June 2020
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, 2020. Adapted by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
The Institut de la statistique du Québec produces, analyzes and disseminates official, objective and quality statistical information on various aspects of Québec society. It is responsible for conducting all statistical surveys of general interest. The relevance of its work makes it a strategic ally for decision makers and all those wishing to learn more about Québec.