Contributors

About this report

Iris Unger, Principal Consultant

On November 22, 2019, the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) brought together 96 members of the community representing 58 unique organizations to discuss issues and challenges facing the English-speaking community with regards to employment, as well as draft recommendations on key issues identified during the summer of 2019. As previously mentioned, the participants expressed a desire to produce actionable solutions which the community could present to the Government of Québec to address as part of a collaborative framework

Key Findings:

• According to the 2016 Census, there were approximately 12,000 more unemployed Englishspeaking individuals than there were French-speaking persons relative to the proportion of each
  language group within the total population
• More than half of English speakers born in Quebec now live outside the province. Those with
  higher educational attainment are more likely to leave
• The effects of the Covid-19 crisis on Québec’s economy have the possibility of disproportionately
  affecting the English-speaking population and increasing long-standing systemic employment
  issues facing the community
• French language training continues to be the greatest barrier to an English-speakers ability to find, maintain, and advance
  within the Quebec workforce
• There is a need for improvements in the integration of English-speakers within the Quebec public service.
• There are challenges with regard to employment program development and delivery intended for English-speakers.
• There is a need for more flexibility in the services that organizations can offer in order to create community tailored, community programs designed to improve the integration of English speakers in the labour market