The event
Which company speaks French best?
As a director or manager, do you set an example by using French in your business? Do your teams stand out by using the right words? After the PGL Dictation for children, it is now the turn of adults in business to submit to the PGL Dictation of La Francophonie. 1er March will take place a first dictation to determine who will represent their company during the grand final, March 22 at HEC Montréal. Canadian National, IKEA, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Cirque du Soleil, Solotech and EY are already registered. You have until February 16 to imitate them. Half of the funds raised will enable projects to be carried out in schools located in disadvantaged areas and the other half will be used for Dictée PGL activities. The theme of this third edition is artificial intelligence. On their website, you will find exercises that will allow you to familiarize yourself with AI vocabulary and avoid pitfalls during the event.
Register your business
Source: Paul Gérin-Lajoie Foundation
The study
Small business deduction (SBD)
Quebec is the only province that does not provide access to a reduced tax rate for the smallest businesses in the construction and service sectors, which do not declare 5,500 hours of paid work, indicates in a press release the Canadian Federation of independent business (CFIB). The Quebec government has blocked access to the reduced tax rate for these small businesses to encourage them to grow and access the level of income allowing them to benefit from advantageous tax treatment. It was a recommendation of the Quebec Tax Review Commission. The CFIB wanted to know the economic impact of the growth bonus and commissioned the firm AppEco to carry out the economic analysis. Thus, according to AppEco’s findings, if the smallest businesses had access to this reduced tax rate, gross domestic product could increase by 811 million and create the equivalent of more than 10,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs. “A tax system should be progressive and not higher for the smallest. This is a logic that would not hold for citizens, it has no place for our smallest businesses,” says François Vincent, vice-president for Quebec at the CFIB.
Source: CFIB
The inspiration
More rising stars in business
The magazine Firsts in business listed Quebec businesses owned and managed by women based on the number of employees, annual turnover, their sector of activity and their markets. THE Ranking of female companies 2024, which is not a ranking, presents the results of companies that achieved revenues greater than or equal to $5 million during their last fiscal year. For this fifth edition, 26 large companies have a turnover of more than $50 million, 73 medium-sized companies have a turnover of 10 to 50 million dollars and 47, from 5 to 10 million dollars. Other interesting statistics: 41% of companies in the Prize list have been around for over 26 years and 87% of businesses have experienced growth. While in 2020, 14 companies were part of the rising stars category, with a turnover between $1 and $5 million, the 2024 edition features 85.
Source : Firsts in business
The poll
Breaking new glass ceilings
PHOTO BRENT LEWIN, BLOOMBERG ARCHIVES
According to the latest brief from the Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal (JCCM), 66% of people belonging to an underrepresented group in Montreal face a glass ceiling that prevents them from accessing higher levels of their organization.
According to the latest brief from the Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal (JCCM), 66% of people belonging to an underrepresented group in Montreal face a glass ceiling that prevents them from accessing higher levels of their organization. From the outset, the current recruitment process poses a problem according to 38% of respondents, because internal referencing, recommendation policies, external headhunters and artificial intelligence (AI) are used. “These practices, which are based in particular on subjective interactions between individuals, are sometimes influenced by cognitive biases or conscious or unconscious prejudices (such as similarity bias) which can disadvantage the hiring of people from under-represented groups,” says the memoir. The lack of diversity in the committees responsible for evaluating and assigning positions also remains an obstacle, underline 47% of respondents. The brief provides organizations with ten recommendations allowing them to undertake or accelerate their own inclusive shift, including recruitment processes sensitive to cognitive biases and more diverse hiring committees.
Source: Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal (JCCM)
The number
47%
Rising prices in all areas of household spending are prompting some employees to review their priorities at work. The year has just started and already 42% of workers have started looking for a new job. For what ? Many are looking for a higher salary (47%). According to data from recruiting firm Robert Half, the professionals most likely to change jobs are those in human resources (72%) and creative marketing (67%). The good news for these opportunity seekers is that the demand for qualified talent remains high. More than half (54%) of managers are currently looking for employees to support their company’s growth.
Source: Robert Half