A third of jobs filled in Canada in January are in Quebec

The performance of Quebecers entering the job market stood out in January, with them taking up nearly a third of the 150,000 positions filled in Canada in this first month of the year. The province has also seen a 1.1% increase in the employment rate since December.

Statistics Canada reports a third consecutive increase in employment in the province since September 2022. In January, of the 150,000 Canadians who have found work, 47,400 are Quebecers. Of this number, 81.8% work full-time and 8.2% part-time.

This increase in the number of workers can be seen in three sectors. Wholesale and retail trade filled 12,000 positions; health care and social assistance, 11,000; and education services, 9,000.

In 2022, 111,700 positions were filled in Quebec. This was an increase of 2.6% compared to 2021.

Stable unemployment, women on the rise

The unemployment rate was 3.9% in January, down 0.2% since December. It is also below the annual average of 4.3% recorded in 2022 for the entire province.

The number of unemployed women aged 25 and over continues to decline. Since December, 4.3% of these women have found work, i.e. 23.6% of women, against 29% of men for a year.

Not only has the number of unemployed people fallen since January 2022, which recorded a rate of 5.4%, but it also remains lower than the average for the country, which was 5% for this first month of the year.

In 2022, the number of unemployed fell by 1.8% compared to 2021 in Quebec.