Quebec Employment stable in 2018

Employment in Quebec grew only marginally in the final month of 2018 compared with November with the employment rate at 5.5 per cent, an increase of 0.1 percentage point. This is the conclusion of an analysis of data by the Quebec Institute of Statistics, released Friday, based on the results of Statistics Canada's Labor Force Survey.

Both full-time and part-time employment remains stable. Employment is decreasing in the private sector, (with 15,800 fewer jobs), remaining stable in the public sector ( with only 500 new jobs) and increasing among the self-employed (19,000 new jobs). The participation rate rose to 64.6 per cent (+0.1 point), and the employment rate remained unchanged at 61.0 per cent in December.

In Canada, employment remains stable (+ 9,300 positions). Ontario (+17,600) posted the largest increase in employment and Alberta, the largest decline (16,900). The Canadian unemployment rate remains unchanged at 5.6 per cent in December.

Employment in Quebec in 2018

In the year 2018, Québec posted an increase of 38,900 jobs (+ 0.9%) compared to the same period the previous year. During this period, full-time employment increased by 61,300, while parttime employment decreased by 22,300.

For the full year of 2018, the unemployment rate in Quebec averaged 5.5%.

Statistics Canada will publish its final data on employment in 2018 at the end of January. Consequently, in February, the Quebec Institute of Statistics will publish a complete portrait of the evolution of the labor market in Quebec for the year 2018.