This text is part of the special Syndicalism booklet
Many graduates cannot find jobs in their field of study, while vacancies without specialization are increasing in Quebec. Faced with this observation, does the adage “who learns gets richer” still hold water?
“Despite the labor shortage, we currently have people who have a university degree, but who do not have a job in their field,” observes Annie Boilard, president of Réseau d’Annie RH, trainer and speaker often called upon as an expert on the world of work. There are 25% more unemployed graduates than there are vacancies requiring a university degree, she calculates, based on data from the 2022 report on employment in Quebec. Labor shortages, where are we?from the Institut du Québec (IDQ).
According to this report, more than a third of vacant positions in La Belle Province (36%) currently do not require any education. These positions are five times more numerous than in 2016. According to the IDQ, the imbalance between vacant positions and the unschooled workforce available is explained in particular by the high level of education of the Quebec population. , while the jobs to be filled require fewer qualifications.
“Currently, in Quebec, these employees without a diploma are king employees. It’s very easy for them to browse from one job to another,” says Annie Boilard. She explains that given the gap between supply and demand for workers, workers can easily set their working conditions.
Despite this observation, Annie Boilard believes that the adage “who learns gets richer” remains topical, both individually and collectively. On an individual level, a university education generally makes it possible to benefit from a better salary, although there are great disparities between the fields of study. Those who have chosen the health, information technology and human resource management sectors, for example, are highly sought after.
Annie Boilard is concerned, however, about the possible school dropout of young people aged 16 to 18, who often fill these positions that do not require schooling. In the same way, she points to the drop in enrollment observed in CEGEPs and universities – many young people preferring to work rather than study.
“Parents from ‘resource regions’, such as Abitibi, Côte-Nord and Saguenay, contact me and tell me: ‘There are companies that have very attractive salaries for our young people who want to leave the school benches. school”, testifies the specialist. We must ensure that our young people acquire at least a secondary school diploma! »
In its report, the IDQ notes the same danger. “Our society is not only still facing literacy and numeracy issues, but also school dropouts which could even be exacerbated in the face of a job market ready to do anything to meet its needs”, write the authors of the report. .
A gap to fill
To meet labor needs, Annie Boilard believes that the province could rely more on its experienced employees, that is to say, pre-retired and retired people aged 60 to 69. “If we had the same proportion of this age group in the labor market as Ontario, we would have 77,000 more available employees! she calculates. We have a shortfall of approximately 250,000 employees, and we have a solution of 77,000 employees. Companies, can you be sexier, jazzy and attractive in your working conditions to get these workers? »
In Ontario, rural municipalities have adopted a four-day week to provide a better balance between work and family life for their employees. Annie Boilard wonders if Quebec could follow suit and consider this kind of measure.
For their part, the authors of the IDQ report report that a large number of workers are required in the province to reach the same level of production as elsewhere in Canada. They suggest that Quebec companies improve their productivity, in particular by automating certain tasks, reorganizing work and adapting their business model.
“We must make sure to increase investments in education, in particular to encourage school perseverance and thus raise the level of skills essential to the knowledge economy”, conclude the authors of the Bilan 2022 de l’emploi au Québec. According to the report, thanks to a more educated population and an economy that relies on higher value-added sectors, the province has everything it needs to successfully transform its labor market.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.