The newly elected Parti Québécois (PQ) minority government has inherited a less-than-pristine labour market from its Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) predecessor, based on the latest national numbers. Quebec shed 49,000 jobs in September, following a trend in which the province’s employment numbers fell, leading to a rise in unemployment, particularly in Montreal. Statistics Canada’s report for September showed an employment decrease of 1.1 per cent last month, following a 0.4 per cent decrease in August. Across the country, Canada lost 63,000 jobs in the past month, following a drop of 41,700 in August. As a comparison, employment in British Columbia fell 0.7 per cent in September; Ontario was down 0.2 per cent. “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. Montreal unemployment rate above average Montreal’s employment rate dropped 1.3 per cent over the past year (32,200), below Toronto (up 1.8 per cent) and Vancouver (up 0.6 per cent). There were 188,500 unemployed workers in Montreal in September, up 28,700 from a year ago (18 per cent). The highest unemployment rate in Quebec is in Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (11.2 per cent), followed by Montreal (7.1 per cent), Hull (6.6 per cent) and Trois-Rivières (5.4 per cent). The unemployment rates in south-central Quebec (2.4 per cent), central Quebec (3.1 per cent) and Chicoutimi–Jonquière (3.7 per cent) are well below the national average. Population decline Quebec’s population aged 15 years and older is 7.6 million (down 24,500 from a year ago), with 4.8 million people in the labour force, 84,000 fewer than in 2025. Statistics Canada said employment has dropped by 94,600 since September 2025, with 116,200 fewer full-time employees. Meanwhile, Quebec’s unemployment rose to six per cent in September, which is 0.8 per cent higher than it was in January. Statistics Canada said there were around 10,700 more people unemployed in Quebec in September 2026 than a year earlier. Agriculture hit hardest The total employed numbers in all industries is down two per cent, with goods producing down 3.9 per cent (37,200) and services producing down 1.6 per cent (57,400). The highest drop in employment was in the province’s agriculture sector, down 16.5 per cent (8,300 jobs), followed by the finance, insurance and real estate sector, down 7.7 per cent (22,900 jobs) and educational services, down seven per cent (27,100 jobs). Accommodation and food services were up 17.7 per cent (42,900 jobs), and professional, scientific and technical services jobs were up 5.9 per cent (22,900 jobs).
