Québec, January 30, 2025. – Labour market conditions continued to improve in most of the province’s regional county municipalities (RCMs), although not as vigorously as in 2022. These findings come from the bulletin Évolution du marché du travail dans les MRC – Bilan 2023 (PDF, 2,82 Mo) released today by the Institut de la statistique du Québec.
Growth in employment income was much smaller than in 2022
The median employment income of those aged 25 to 64 continued to grow in Québec and reached $56,100 in 2023, a 3.3% increase in current dollars from 2022, compared to a surge of 8.6% a year earlier. Against a backdrop of strong inflation, however, the growth in employment income in 2023 was not as marked as the rise in prices.
At the sub-provincial level, growth in employment income in current dollars exceeded the provincial average in 73 of Québec’s 104 RCMs, including Caniapiscau and Les Collines-de-l’Outaouais, which both posted increases over 8.0%.
Large income disparities between RCMs in Côte-Nord
Once again, Côte-Nord was the region with the greatest difference in income between its RCMs. The income gap exceeded $64,000 between the two RCMs with the highest and lowest median income: Caniapiscau with $102,800 and Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent with $38,700.
Number of workers up almost everywhere, especially in RCMs with strong population growth
In Québec, the number of workers aged 25 to 64 rose by 2.5% in 2023 to a record high of more than 3,695,000. Although this increase was relatively strong from a historical standpoint, it was not as large as the unprecedented growth rates of 2021 and 2022.
The number of workers was up in the majority (97) of Québec’s 104 RCMs in 2023. This increase was particularly marked in RCMs that also posted strong population growth, such as Montréal, Les Laurentides, and Charlevoix.
The rate of workers was also up in the vast majority of RCMs, but not as much as in 2022. It was mainly RCMs located in regions with older populations that posted the strongest increases, due to a rise in the number of workers combined with a drop in the number of taxfilers aged 25 to 64. This was the case for several RCMs in the region of Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
For 25 years, the Institut de la statistique du Québec has been producing, analyzing, and disseminating official, objective and high-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 an essential source of information for all those wishing to learn more about Québec.