Press Release: English speakers in the Eastern Townships experience higher unemployment rates and lower median incomes than their French-speaking counterparts.

Montreal, February 6, 2025 – English speakers in Estrie, the region that comprises the Eastern Townships, are struggling in the job market, despite having high levels of bilingualism and education.

That is one of the key takeaways from a new report from the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT), a research organization that has been tracking the economic situation of English speakers in the province. Despite many English speakers having strong French proficiency and a high level of secondary education, they still earn a median employment income that is $5,000 lower than their French-speaking counterparts.

Between 2016 and 2021, the income gap between English and French speakers remained, underscoring the depth of the economic disparities between the two communities. Buffeted by the perception that they lack sufficient French language skills, English speakers face limited opportunities for career advancement, lower wages than Francophones and reduced economic mobility.

The lack of access to training programs is a major barrier to employment for English speakers in the region, according to the report. Although the region is one of only two in the province that houses an English-language university, a CEGEP and a vocational training center, many English speakers cannot gain access due to long commutes and inadequate public transit links. Bereft of the necessary educational qualifications and stymied by a lack of confidence in French, English speakers often find themselves limited to a handful of industries, such as tourism and manufacturing.

In response to these challenges, PERT recommends offering more online and long-distance learning opportunities to try and stave off the brain drain of English students from the area. PERT also recommends increasing government funding for more language training programs at work.

Townshippers’ Association, a local community organization that works in the Eastern Townships region, invited PERT to present this new report to local partners and community members on February 6, with the goal of opening up a conversation about economic development in the region. According to the organization’s Executive Director, Denis Kotsoros, “this report will be helpful for us as we work to develop a detailed statistical portrait of our region’s English-speaking community. The results show us that there is still work that we – and our partners – need to do, both to uncover the realities of our local communities and to address the core challenges we are facing.

Expanding access to training is a practical and necessary step toward strengthening the region’s economy,” said Nicholas Salter, PERT’s Executive Director. “Making postsecondary education more accessible—particularly through online and distance learning—will help ensure that English speakers can develop the skills needed to contribute fully to the local workforce.

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About PERT

The Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) is a non-profit multi-stakeholder initiative focused on addressing the employment and employability challenges facing Québec’s English-speaking community. For more information about the Provincial Employment Roundtable, go to pertquebec.ca

For more information contact:

Chad Walcott
Director of Engagement & Communications 
Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT)
Chad@pertquebec.ca
1-855-773-7885 ext. 737