Highlights
- The CMA broke a record for the third month in a row, registering the lowest unemployment rate since this data is being monitored (2006) by Statistics Canada.
- The region’s labour market gained 3,600 jobs and reached 460,200 jobs, compared to 456,600 in March 2023.
- The labour force also grew slightly with 4,100 more people in the labour force, as did the participation and employment rates, which reached 67.1% and 65.9%, respectively. By comparison, the province’s participation and employment rates reached 65.0% and 62.3%. In Canada, these rates were 65.7% and 62.4%.
- Overall, the unemployment rate remained relatively stable in the province of Quebec and Canada, with 4.2% and 5.0%, respectively.
Charts
Evolution of the participation rate, the employment rate and the unemployment rate in the Québec City region
Source : statistique Canada. Tableau 14-10-0380-01
Cautionary Note
The available data for the Québec City census metropolitan area (CMA) was given special statistical treatment (three-month moving average) due to the small sample size, which has the effect of mitigating the large fluctuations in the data. Thus, the data collected in February and March influenced the estimations published for April. Please also note that we use comparable data for the province of Quebec and the other CMAs in this document.
Commentary
A stable unemployment rate
Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey revealed that the unemployment rate remained stable at 1.7% in the Québec City CMA in April 2023. Like the previous month, according to Statistics Canada’s survey, Québec City also remained the CMA with the lowest unemployment rate among the 47 CMAs in the province of Quebec and Canada. The unemployment rates in the province of Quebec and Canada also remained stable at 4.2% and 5%, respectively.
Higher employment and participation rates
The region’s labour market continues to distinguish itself due to its vitality, with all of its indicators being in the green zone. Thus, the CMA registered 3,600 additional jobs this month, while its labour force grew by 4,100 people. The employment and participation rates grew by 0.4 and 0.5 percentage points, respectively. On that chapter, the CMA performed better than the province of Quebec and Canada, which saw their employment and participation rates decrease (-0.1 percentage points in the province of Quebec) or stagnate (Canada).
A resilient labour market despite labour scarcity
In addition to the unemployment rate remaining historically low, April 2023 data shows that the CMA’s labour market continues to grow, with participation indicators (employment rate and participation rate) still increasing. However, the margins could potentially shrink in the coming months as the number of new jobs and new people active in the labour force decreases, following the provincial and national trends. To that effect, the number of new jobs created this month (3,600 jobs) remains below the level registered in March (7,900). We can see the same trend in the number of new people in the labour force which, despite an increase in April 2023, remains below March’s level.
El Hadji Nimaga
Economist
Québec International
