Notice of release: Bulletin on the evolution of the labour market in RCMs in 2019

Québec, January 12, 2021. – The Institut de la statistique du Québec published today the bulletin Évolution du marché du travail dans les MRC – Bilan de l’année 2019. The indicators analyzed in this bulletin confirm that the labour market was dynamic in Québec and in most regional county municipalities (RCMs) before the COVID-19 crisis hit the province.

Highlights

The number of workers aged 25-64 in Québec increased for the tenth consecutive year in 2019 (+40,054; +1.2%), bringing the rate of workers (share of workers in the population aged 25 to 64) to an unprecedented high of 79.3%.

• The largest increases in the number of workers in 2019 were observed mainly in the RCMs of the census metropolitan areas (CMAs) of Montréal and Québec, as well as in the administrative regions of Estrie and Centre-du-Québec.
• However, the number of workers declined in 35 RCMs, mainly in administrative regions that are further away from large urban centres, such as Côte-Nord, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Bas-Saint-Laurent, and Abitibi-Témiscamingue. Significant declines were also observed in the RCMs in northern Outaouais and Mauricie.

• For its part, the rate of workers increased in almost all RCMs in Québec. The most important increases were recorded in Le Golfe-du-Saint-Laurent and Minganie (Côte-Nord) as well as in Les Sources (Estrie).

The median employment income of 25-64 year-olds in Québec experienced its strongest growth since 2002 (+5.1%), when comparable annual data became available. It stood at $44,936 in 2019.

• The median employment income of 25-64 year-olds increased in all RCMs in 2019, to varying degrees. In over half of RCMs, it increased by 5.0% or more. With a jump of 10.9%, the Rocher-Percé RCM had the most pronounced increase.
• The highest median employment incomes were concentrated in the RCMs of the Québec and Ottawa-Gatineau CMAs, as well as those on the outskirts of the Montreal Island. They also tended to be higher in RCMs far from large centres whose economy is strongly linked to the exploitation of mining resources, such as Caniapiscau in Côte-Nord and Rouyn-Noranda and La Vallée-de-l’Or in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Median employment income of 25-64 year-olds, Québec RCMs, 2019

Sources:
Institut de la statistique du Québec, using Revenu Québec’s personal tax data (data on median employment income).
Ministère de l’Énergie et des Ressources naturelles, Système sur les découpages administratifs (administrative boundaries).

Dynamic tables by RCM

Detailed statistics on the number and rate of workers as well as the median employment income of 25-64 year-olds in the 104 RCMs of Québec are also available on the website of the Institut de la statistique du Québec.

 

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