The main political parties should commit to raising annual immigration thresholds to 90,000 people in Quebec to alleviate labor shortages, argues Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ), which unveiled its demands on Wednesday. , in view of the next elections this fall.
The effects of the scarcity of labor are not as visible in factories as in businesses open to all, but its consequences are very real for manufacturers, warns the president and CEO of MEQ, Véronique Proulx. “Often, the manufacturer has to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” she points out in an interview. We can’t stop a production line as we like or because we don’t have the workers. It puts a lot, a lot of pressure on the manufacturer. »
The labor shortage is hitting the sector “full force”, where there are 31,000 vacancies, writes the MEQ in the document presenting its proposals. Of its members, 70% say they have turned down contracts or paid penalties for late production due to a lack of staff.
The association, which defends the interests of more than 13,600 manufacturing companies, estimates that the immigration threshold should be raised to 90,000 people for the next three years. The current threshold is 50,000. “The labor market is having more difficulty bringing experienced workers and young people back into the labor market, and that’s where we say it’s going to take more immigration,” explains M.me Proulx.
The Minister of Labor and Employment of Quebec, Jean Boulet, has already stated in an interview with To have to that the target should remain around 50,000, because Quebec still had “integration work” to do.
Quebec plans to welcome nearly 70,000 immigrants this year, which includes the target of 50,000, with catch-up for those who were unable to come to Quebec due to the pandemic. The Liberals would propose leaving that figure at 70,000 in 2023.
Mme Proulx points out that temporary immigrants, who already have a job, are good candidates for permanent immigrant status.
To attract more newcomers to regions outside Montreal, the MEQ suggests a non-taxable financial incentive of $10,000 for people who have been settled for less than five years.
Other proposals
In all, the MEQ presented 12 electoral proposals which it hopes will be taken up by the main political parties. In addition to solutions to the labor shortage, the MEQ makes proposals to encourage innovation in the manufacturing sector and mitigate disruptions in the supply chain.
The MEQ would also like Quebec to improve its support program offer for companies that need to strengthen their expertise in ESG factors (environmental, social and governance factors).