Highlights
- According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, there were 464,200 people employed in the area in April, 7,000 more than the previous month.
- The labour force increased by 5,800 individuals, marking a fifth consecutive month of growth.
- In April, the unemployment rate was 3.3%, a drop compared to March (3.6%). This is the second lowest rate ever recorded in the area, and currently the lowest rate amongst all major Canadian cities.
- In the province of Quebec, seasonally adjusted data from Statistics Canada shows that employment rose by 13,300 people from March to April, while the unemployment rate slightly dropped, reaching 5.1%.
Commentary
In the Labour Force Survey (LFS), Statistics Canada estimated the number of people employed in April at 464,200, a historical high in the area. The area recorded 7,000 new jobs compared to March, marking a fifth consecutive month of growth. Positive performance in the past few months offset the declines recorded in the second half of 2018 and led to this new milestone.
The Québec City CMA labour force also grew, Statistics Canada estimates that 5,800 individuals joined the workforce this month. Overall, there are 480,000 people in the labour force, a record high based on the available data series. The participation rate increased, nearing the 70% mark. The area has the highest participation rate in the province, with 69.9%. In a context of labour scarcity, certain population segments are especially solicited. However, compared to the same period last year, the participation of people aged 25 to 54, already highly active, seems to have slightly increased, while the trend among those aged 55 and older shows more notable gains. Still, growth in the labour force remained lower than that of employment. Consequently, the positive labour market performance impacted the unemployment rate, which dipped even lower in April (3.3%) compared to March (3.6%). This is the second lowest rate ever recorded in the area (3.2% in February 2018), and the lowest rate among all major Canadian cities.
Once again, the service sector drove employment market growth in the CMA. Wholesale trade, professional, and educational services particularly supported strong employment in April, offsetting the decrease in numbers which were limited to the construction industry and management services. Over a period of one year, a trend shows that professional, scientific and technical services most contributed to growth in employment.
