Young anglophones in Quebec earn less, have higher unemployment: statistics

Young Quebec anglophones earn less and have higher unemployment than their francophone counterparts, according to new statistics from PERT, the Provincial Employment Roundtable.

The data, compiled data from the 2021 census, shows that among young people, unemployment is 13.1 per cent for anglophones compared to 7.8 per cent for francophones.

Rosalie Di Lollo helps English speaking Quebecers find jobs through the organization YES Employment + Entrepreneurship. She says language comes up every day.

“For English speaking youth, for some of them it’s the language barrier,” Di Lollo said. “It’s not being fluent enough in French or thinking that they’re not fluent enough in French because that’s often what we notice as well.”

Statistics also show that anglophone Quebecers from 25 to 34 years old earn an income of about $33,000, approximately $6,000 less than French speaking Quebecers in the same age bracket.

Di Lollo says it can take an anglophone up to two years to find the right job.

“A French-speaking person can take anywhere between six weeks to seven, eight months to find employment,” Di Lollo said. “An English-speaking person or a person that doesn’t live within that majority, can take even longer.”

Jack Jedwab, president and CEO of the Association for Canadian Studies, says the numbers warrant further study.

“Ultimately, the political will needs to be there to address these issues,” Jedwab said. “They don’t strike me anyways as being enough of a priority for decision makers in Quebec and clearly, you would think that Quebec would like to retain its youth.”

The minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers, Christopher Skeete, says he’s concerned about these statistics. He says the problem is a priority for Quebec.

“I freely admit that one of my passions would be to probably have more courses available for people after school,” Skeete said. “But, if kids are graduating in high school and are not prepared, I think we need to have a serious conversation with the English school board system, who are elected officials who should be accountable to parents.”

Di Lollo said English-speaking youth are motivated, despite the challenges they face while looking for employment.

“They increasingly feel excluded from Quebec. It’s not that they don’t want to belong to society. It’s almost like they’re receiving the message that they don’t belong,” Di Lollo said.

“That’s extremely hurtful for them too and it affects them.”