What to Expect from the Job Market in Canada and Quebec in 2023 and Beyond

What’s the current state of the job market in Quebec?

Canada is a growing country and contributes well to the global economy. However, it’s been facing a major challenge—the aging population is putting pressure on labour force growth.

Quebec has been experiencing a labour shortage for a few years now. It’s been exacerbated by the pandemic and border closures because foreign workers were unable to step in to fill a large number of positions, as is usually the case.

The unemployment rate is very low in Canada these days. As of July 2023, it’s 5.7% in Quebec and 5.5% in Canada overall.

The bottom line is, that Quebec companies are struggling to hire talent.

How does this issue impact the job market?

The labour shortage, along with Quebec labour and employment laws, means that the job market is typically more dynamic than in many European countries, with a speedy hiring process. Companies have no choice but to be reactive and find innovative ways of sourcing the right candidates.

This situation offers candidates more flexibility, more options in the job market, and better career opportunities overall.

It also creates better benefits and working conditions to attract the best candidates.

So far, it’s been a positive environment for both employees and candidates.

And what’s the impact on global recruitment for foreigners who want to work in Canada?

Quebec and Canadian companies were already open to hiring talent from all over the world before the pandemic, but only in certain sectors (e.g. the industrial sector) where labour shortages have been an issue for several years. Still, many companies had not yet turned to this option because they were wary of red tape and high immigration fees.

The pandemic triggered border closures and restrictions, as well as a massive temporary worker exodus and a severe shortage of manpower. Many employers in Quebec realized that they no longer had a choice—they had to pivot quickly and source much-needed talent abroad.

Some had to shut down production lines because they didn’t have enough employees to keep them running, and some restaurants even had to close.

Nowadays, companies can’t afford to wait for international candidates who already have a work permit or an immigration status in Canada. They have to hire from abroad.

The pandemic has had a positive impact on global recruitment, and the services agencies like ours offer are increasingly in demand.

What industries are looking for foreign workers right now?

As we mentioned earlier, some sectors have been hiring internationally for a while, especially in the industrial trades where jobs such as welders, CNC machinists and electrical mechanics have been in-demand jobs for a while.

This is still the case but demand is growing in other industries and sectors as well.

For instance, in IT, all kinds of profiles are in demand, from developers to technical support and cybersecurity.

There are good job prospects for production managers as well as light & sound technicians.

There is also demand in:

• purchasing
• recruitment
• insurance
• food service

Sectors where demand is lower are still human resources, finance or marketing and communications.

These are trendy professions in Canada, so there’s usually a local pool of candidates already.

Any conclusions or observations on the situation?

International recruitment is becoming a solution to Canada’s labour shortage, and companies are increasingly aware of it. They just don’t have any other option.

“Educating” companies on international recruitment is still necessary because they need some reassurance on the process. We also have to develop awareness about this option to source talent. However, we’re on the right track and we feel that there’s strong demand in the market right now, extending to almost all sectors.

International recruitment still seems complicated for companies, but this mindset is changing and the government is implementing more and more solutions to make the process smoother and help companies looking to attract foreign workers.

The results are positive, and many companies are now taking the international recruitment road. Quebec welcomed 17,600 immigrants in 2019, 33,708 in 2021 and around 50,000 in 2023. Canada is now looking to welcome over 460,000 new immigrants each year—the highest levels to date—with the new 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan.