Montréal, February 19, 2020. – In 2019, the number of jobs in Québec reached 4,341,200, up for the fifth consecutive year. Compared with 2018, this represents an average increase of 77,700 jobs, or 1.8%. This was revealed in the publication État du marché du travail au Québec. Bilan de l’année 2019, made public today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, following the release of official final data for 2019 from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey.
Québec’s unemployment rate averaged 5.1% in 2019, down 0.4 percentage points from 2018. This is the lowest level observed since data became available in 1976.
Most of the employment growth in 2019 came from the creation of full-time and private sector jobs
Employment growth in 2019 is due in part to the creation of 49,700 full-time jobs, while the number of part-time jobs increased by 28,000. This growth was mainly concentrated in the private sector (+56,900) and is shared roughly equally between women (+39,200) and men (+38,500).
Strong wage growth in 2019
In 2019, the increase in average hourly wage of Québec employees compared with the previous year reached 4.8%, or $1.23. This is two and a half times higher than the growth observed in 2018 (+1.9%; $0.48) and the largest increase in the last ten years.
Québec has one of the lowest unemployment rates among Canadian provinces
In 2019, employment in Canada increased by 398,200 (+2.1%). Growth was concentrated in Ontario (210,200 jobs; +2.9%), Québec (77,700 jobs; +1.8%) and British Columbia (65,400 jobs; +2.6%). At 5.1%, Québec’s unemployment rate is one of the lowest of all provinces, after British Columbia’s (4.7%).
The publication État du marché du travail au Québec. Bilan de l’année 2019 also includes sections on Québec’s administrative regions, the immigrant population, sectors and industries, and the most recent data on job vacancies in 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.