Anne Leibovici arrived in Quebec at the very beginning of the pandemic, thanks to a WHV, a working holiday program. Graduated from a business school in Angers, she is employed in the recruitment service of the Société des traversiers du Québec, these ferries on the water which allow locals as well as tourists, pedestrians as well as heavy goods vehicles, when it is not There is no bridge, to span the St. Lawrence, all along the river, from the north of the province to Montreal.
The company employs around 800 people, the majority of whom are Quebecers. The Frenchwoman testifies that the job market is tight here:
“There are really a lot of applications right now, there are 200,000 positions available in Quebec, and with a rather low unemployment rate, at 4.9%, we are really having difficulty recruiting, because there are also a lot of retirements, and not necessarily people to replace them. “
Anne Leibovicito franceinfo
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Quebec has just signed an agreement with the Canadian federal government aimed at increasing the number of foreign workers. Scheduled until 2023, it will increase immigrant quotas and allow them to hold any position while awaiting permanent residence.
The province is in effect in a situation of full employment, and it is complicated for a company even to keep its employees. “Ona a lot of competition in certain positions that it is difficult to fill, because people can come to us, testifies the Frenchwoman, but they are also spoiled for choice elsewhere, they can leave overnight in a company that offers them one or two dollars Of time what’s more. Retention is complicated. THEhe turnover rate is very high today. “
At the Société des traversiers du Québec alone, sailors and marine engineers are being recruited with great speed. Five will also arrive from France next year. But that will not be enough. The company has already lowered its wings a little during the Covid:
“We have always had crossings, but in some cases, we had to reduce the number of ships a little. For example, between Quebec and Lévis, we went to a single ship. But generally speaking, there is always a minimum service that is provided. “
If on the one hand, the Quebec authorities facilitate access to the province, on the other, they toughen it. According to Anne Leibovici, uThe reform adopted in July 2020 now requires holders of a working holiday permit to work for two years, and no longer just one, as before to obtain a closed work permit.
In addition, some jobs such as the server are excluded. Quebec is counting on the reopening of Canada’s borders last September to once again attract flows of foreign workers.
Write to him: [email protected]
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The Quebec ferry company
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Find this column in the magazine, on the website and the international mobility app “French abroad.fr”