Quebec sheds 49,000 jobs in September as unemployment rises
The province's employment has fallen by 130,000 positions since the start of the year, according to Statistics Canada.
Quebec shed 49,000 jobs in September, contributing to a national loss of 63,000 positions. Statistics Canada reported the province's employment decreased by 1.1 per cent last month, following a 0.4 per cent drop in August. The provincial unemployment rate rose to six per cent in September, which is 0.8 per cent higher than it was in January. The newly elected Parti Québécois minority government has inherited this labour market from its Coalition Avenir Québec predecessor. "Employment in the province has trended down since the start of the year, with a cumulative decline of 130,000 (-2.8 per cent) from January to September," Statistics Canada said. Since September 2025, employment has dropped by 94,600, with 116,200 fewer full-time employees. The total number of employed people across all industries is down two per cent compared to a year ago.
The job losses were widespread. Employment in goods-producing sectors fell 3.9 per cent, a loss of 37,200 jobs, while services-producing sectors dropped 1.6 per cent, shedding 57,400 positions. The sharpest declines were in agriculture, down 16.5 per cent or 8,300 jobs, and the finance, insurance and real estate sector, down 7.7 per cent or 22,900 jobs. Educational services lost 27,100 jobs, a seven per cent decrease.
Some sectors saw gains. Accommodation and food services added 42,900 jobs, an increase of 17.7 per cent, and professional, scientific and technical services grew by 22,900 jobs, or 5.9 per cent. Regionally, Montreal's employment rate dropped 1.3 per cent over the past year, with 188,500 unemployed workers in the city in September. That figure is up 28,700, or 18 per cent, from a year ago. The highest unemployment rate in the province is in Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine at 11.2 per cent. Nationally, Canada lost 63,000 jobs in September after a drop of 41,700 in August. British Columbia's employment fell 0.7 per cent last month, while Ontario was down 0.2 per cent. In contrast, employment grew in Toronto by 1.8 per cent and in Vancouver by 0.6 per cent over the past year.
With files from BNN Bloomberg