Although both natural increase and migration increase played a role in the CMA’s population growth in 2019, the biggest factor was net migration. In this regard, the natural population increase reached 1,368 people in 2019, a notable 29.5% annual increase. Comparatively, the migratory increase was 6,7161 people from 2018 to 2019,2 a rise of 27% compared to 2017-2018. This trend, which has been going on for many years, shows how attractiveness is a major concern for the economic development of cities. CMAs need to set themselves apart from the other regions in the province of Quebec, Canada and even the world. The Québec City CMA also had a positive net migration with every other CMA in Quebec, with the exception of the Ottawa-Gatineau CMA (Quebec part). Meanwhile, the region continues to age; people aged 65 and over made up 21% of the population in 2019, a peak since 2006.
Before the pandemic, the situation in the Québec City CMA was marked by good economic health and major labour needs, as suggested by the various economic growth and labour market indicators in recent years.
While it is still difficult to assess the extent of the impact of COVID-19, the underlying trends that are the drop in natural population increase and the ageing of the population hinder the region’s economic development. In that regard, labour, consumption, all aspects of investment, and contributions to public finances are some factors of economic development that are affected by changes in the population. The Québec City CMA has a certain level of attractiveness, which helps compensate for the low natural population increase, as evidenced by the various net migration results. However, immigration efforts must be stepped up, as there is still room for improvement in this sector. For instance, retention of non-permanent immigrants, a group for which net migration has improved significantly in recent years, is one aspect that the CMA will need to focus on.
In a context where cities are competing to attract newcomers, it is essential, now more than ever, that the CMA continue to showcase its assets.
