Quebec is not immune to the haemorrhage of employees. In the greater Montreal area alone, more than 200,000 positions are not filled, and no one here sees how the situation could be improved, explains Julien Tougeron, director for a few months of the French Chamber of Commerce of Montreal:
“A million are missing across Quebec and soon three across Canada, he details. The shortage particularly concerns unskilled jobs such as waiters, salespeople or construction staff. There is a lack of nurses, doctors, plumbers, electricians, classic office workers. Even I’m looking for an intern and I’m having trouble recruiting.”
The French recognizes that in Canada, some of these professions, particularly in health or education, are a little too restricted.
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According to the Frenchman, it takes almost three years today to see a request for permanent residence for Quebec succeed. A delay that varies from one province to another, since each applies its own rules for immigration. According to Julien Tougeron, the market will eventually regulate itself, in particular thanks to greater use of subcontracting:
“You need IT technicians, there may not be any more IT technicians in the company. But you will take a service provider who will manage your fleet of computers, manage firewalls, the external cloud, it’s going to happen more and more.”
The French CCI of Montreal has 320 members, companies of all sizes, 40% of which are Canadian. It has set up an internet platform that allows its members to post their job offers and candidates to submit their CVs online.
The French CCI in Canada (Montreal)
Find this chronicle on the site, the app and in the international mobility magazine “Français à l’étranger.fr”