Published on December 04, 2025

A report by the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) & The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC)

Report Overview
The findings are clear: even when accounting for differences in age, education, and location, English speakers experience persistent employment and income disparities compared to French speakers. These gaps are significant, costing Québec an estimated $1.51 billion in lost income each year.

This report examines employment outcomes, gaps, and opportunities for English speakers in Québec. It also provides updated predictions and projections to 2028, showing that some industries, including healthcare, education, and professional services, could face labour shortages if these disparities are not addressed.

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Key Findings
Even after accounting for age, education, and immigration status, employment and income gaps persist. When updating the 2021 Census numbers to control for these factors:

• Employment rates for English speakers are 2.8 percentage points lower.
• Average earnings are 11.9% lower than those of French speakers.

In 2025, English speakers are predicted to have higher unemployment across all education levels.
New projections to 2028 show these gaps remain stable across all labour force growth scenarios.

Recommendations

• We recommend that the Québec government work in collaboration with key stakeholders to develop and implement a targeted strategy to close the employment and income disparities between English and French speakers.
• In order to mitigate predicted labour shortages in key industries, we recommend the Québec government develop, implement and promote policies to attract, employ, and retain English speakers in Québec.

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