Posted at 6:00 a.m.
More and more people working
When Pénélope Lavoie walks towards the Brioches & Babioles café on Saturday morning, she knows exactly why she is going to work. The place is of course very lively and popular in the region. But the 14-year-old girl has a project in mind above all.
“I want to become a kinesiologist and go to study at the University of Rimouski,” she says. In five years, I know that I will have to pay for an apartment, because I live too far away. »
14-year-olds each have their own reasons for knocking on the door of employers (see other text), who, for their part, must offer safe positions according to their age. For sociologist Charles Fleury, a professor at Laval University, the values of Quebec and even North American culture influence this early entry into the labor market.
We are in a culture that values individual autonomy and autonomy through work. Whether we are a child of the rich or the poor, we will have to go to work, because we share these values, because we want to participate in the consumer society and show that it is not our parents who provide for Our needs.
Charles Fleury, sociologist and professor at Laval University
“In Europe, on the other hand, there are far fewer young people who work during their studies, and they will not brag about it, continues the sociologist, because it is not well seen. »
Motivated and polite
The glaring lack of labor is the main reason that pushes merchants and restaurateurs to hire 14-year-olds and even 13-year-olds. However, it turns out that they are also polite and motivated employees, say employers interviewed by The Press.
“We just hired a 13-year-old because of his motivation,” says Karine Guay-Désy, co-owner of the Küto restaurants in Longueuil and Boucherville. “The youngster came to meet us with his parents, and we decided to integrate him into the team because he was super motivated. More motivated than some 18-19 year olds. »
At the IGA in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the manager of the bakery, Karine Turcotte, makes the same observation.
As it is often their first job, I observe that in general, 14-year-old employees are more involved, make more effort, take initiatives and always show up for work when they are scheduled.
Karine Turcotte, manager of the bakery at the IGA in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Unannounced quits are a problem in many businesses. To counter this widespread behavior, the manager explains that the grocer had to establish a rule: when an employee resigns, he must come back in person to collect his last pay check and return his uniform to the manager who hired him.
Unemployment rate
Even highly motivated young generation Xers, who were 14 years old in 1982, could never have hoped to land a job when the unemployment rate in Quebec reached 15%. Neither did the Ys aged 14 in 1996. At that time, the unemployment rate was 12% compared to the historic threshold of 3.9% recorded in Quebec in April 2022.
“In restaurants and grocery stores, you had to submit a few CVs before getting a job, and again. In the cinemas, we did not even think about it, you had to know someone to be hired, remembers the sociologist. The employment context was different. In the 1980s-1990s, there was an economic downturn, but the mass of young people was greater. »
Demography speaks out
The share of the population aged 0-14 fell from 24.6% in 1976 to 15.8% in 2019, says the Statistical portrait of youth employment in Quebec in the decade 2010-2019 produced by the Quebec Youth Research Network Chair. Just like the share of 15 to 24 year olds, which fell from 20.6% to 10.9% during the same period.
“Young people have always been on the labor market unofficially,” continues the specialist who collaborated in the study. They looked after children, picked berries, passed the newspaper. Today, they are moving to formal labor markets. We didn’t see that before. »
A difficult number to grasp
Statistics Canada data does not provide an exact number of employees aged 14, as the agency stopped including them in its employment statistics since 1976.
L’Quebec survey on the health of young people in secondary school 2016-2017 carried out by the Institut de la statistique du Québec indicated that 45% of young people in Secondary 1 (12-13 years old) and 49.8% of young people in Secondary 2 (13-14 years old) worked during the school year. However, only 17% and 22% had a real position with an employer. The majority did odd jobs such as grounds maintenance or babysitting.
For request of The Press, Revenu Québec has listed the number of young people under the age of 18 who have filed a tax return over the past 10 years. The agency was unable to extract data specifically for 14-year-olds. However, the trend observed in the table below gives an idea of the situation. In 2020, there were 22,000 more minors than in 2010 to file a tax return.
Full tolerance
If shopkeepers and restaurateurs hire more young teenagers, they must also convince them to stay. “I’m from the time when the bosses were strict. There, you have to tolerate more, says Jonathan Althot, director at Valmont in Boucherville. The work still has to be done, but we now let them talk together. They have to have fun at the same time. »
At the family restaurant at Grégoire et Fils in Mercier, one of the co-owners remembers this management of employees from another era, more authoritarian and strict.
“When I started, I tended to go in this direction,” explains Emmanuel Grégoire, who has worked for the company for 25 years. “I realized fairly quickly that when employees don’t enjoy coming to work, the performance isn’t there. Since then, my philosophy has been for all employees to have fun at work. »
An employer cannot ask a person under the age of 18 to do work that:
1. exceeds its capabilities;
2. risks jeopardizing his education;
3. risk of harming his health, physical or moral development;
A young person aged 16 or under who does not have a Secondary V diploma cannot work during school hours.
A young person under the age of 14 must have the written authorization of one of his parents to work. The employer must retain this authorization for three years.
In 2020, 149 minors under the age of 16 were victims of accidents at work, including less than 5 children aged 11 only.
Source: CNESST
Four teenagers at work
The Press interviewed four 14-year-olds to find out what motivates them to work, what they like, what they like less. Short testimonials.
James Phoenix
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
James Phoenix
- 14 years old
- Fruit and vegetable attendant
- IGA in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
- In office since March 2022
- 10 hours per week at $14.25
The choice of workplace
“I’ve always liked to place things. I like it when everything is straight, everything is perfect. Everything is well placed in my room. I am a perfectionist. Fruit and vegetable attendant was the only position available at the grocery store where I wanted to work. I have friends who work there and a dozen people from my school. From day one, I have enjoyed taking care of this department. »
The motivations
“I wanted to work, because sometimes I no longer knew how to occupy myself. I play video games, but when I don’t feel like it anymore, I get bored. My friends were already working and at the time I didn’t have a girlfriend. It helped me make this decision, and the money too. »
Where does my income go
“I keep some of the money to save for later… But I don’t know for what exactly yet. But I save and I put money aside. The rest I spend on clothes, shoes, and dining out for lunch with my friends. My parents pay for my clothes when I need them. Sometimes I want clothes when I don’t need them! »
Juliane Favreau
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Juliane Favreau
- 14 years old
- Baker and cashier
- Valmont to Boucherville
- In office since August 2021
- 10 hours per week at $14.25
The choice of workplace
“My friends worked here, at Valmont, so that encouraged me to come and work there too. I like to bake bread, muffins and cookies at the bakery and do the checkout. These are different tasks, it’s not routine, and I’m learning different things. »
The motivations
“Last summer, I had a lot of free time, so I thought why not work and make some money at the same time. I meet new people and make friends who are co-workers. »
Where does my income go
“My pay is deposited in my bank account. Sometimes when I go shopping, I take money from the account. I’m saving part of my pay, but I don’t know for what yet. I heard about the fact that we could put our money somewhere to earn interest, but I don’t know how it works yet. So I haven’t made any investments yet. »
Emile Picotte
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Emile Picotte
- 14 years old
- Fries, sandwiches and hot-dogs attendant
- Restaurant Gregoire in Mercier
- In office since April 2022
- 10 hours per week at $14.25
The choice of workplace
“I find the place sick, I love working there, and the atmosphere is really fun. I have a friend who works right behind me, he makes the meatballs. There are three people who go to the same school as me. »
The motivations
“I wanted to work to save money to buy a small car around 16-17, to prepare for my apartment around 19-20, but also to discover the world of work and something other than work. ‘school. »
Where does my income go
“About 25% of my money goes to pay for the gas for the scooter I take to work and for my personal needs. With my parents, we decided to take another bank account where we put 75% of the money to save for the car and the apartment. I also thought of using this money to make an investment. I think that would be a very good idea. »
Penelope Lavoie
PHOTO JOCELYN LANDRY, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Penelope Lavoie
- 14 years old
- Waitress, cashier, cook
- Brioches & Baubles in Saint-Arsène
- In office since March 2022
- 7.5 hours per week at $14.25
The choice of workplace
“I had wanted to work at Brioches & Babioles for a long time. When I entered the café, I found that it was an attractive place, that the atmosphere was good and that it seemed fun to work there. »
The motivations
“I wanted to work in this café because, in life, I’m shy and I thought it might help me get out of my way. I like serving customers, meeting people. I’m raising money to go and study kinesiology in Rimouski. »
Where does my income go
“I keep 75% of the money in an account for my studies at university and my future apartment. The other 25% is deposited in another account linked to my ATM card. As I love fashion, I can use this money to buy the clothes I want. »
To read tomorrow: “What to do with the money you earn at 14?