As the election campaign draws to a close in Quebec, Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec (MEQ) calls on the candidates to quickly address the labour shortage in the manufacturing sector. There are now 31,985 vacant positions in the Quebec manufacturing sector, a record that is bad news for manufacturing companies.
“The lack of workers directly impacts regional economic spin-offs, but also the postponement of investments and disruptions in supply chains. We will need to count on the support of newly elected MPs in all regions to emphasize the importance of mitigating the impacts of the labour shortage in our manufacturing companies. The situation for our manufacturers is getting worse and worse,” said Véronique Proulx, President and CEO of MEQ.
According to Statistics Canada data, in the second quarter of 2022, there were 31,985 vacant positions in the Quebec manufacturing sector, compared to 30,720 in the first quarter of the same year. Moreover, 6,550 of these positions are in Montérégie, 6,040 in Montréal and 4,430 in Chaudière-Appalaches, all vital manufacturing regions. Furthermore, 37% of the vacant posts are in the manufacturing sector in Quebec.
To better document the impacts and propose solutions adapted to the needs of businesses, MEQ launched the second edition of its annual survey on the labour shortage in the Quebec manufacturing sector. This survey will make it possible to determine the economic impact of this labour shortage on manufacturing companies and propose solutions. Last year, the survey results showed that Quebec lost $18 billion over two years due to the labour shortage in the manufacturing sector.
Finally, MEQ recently presented its electoral platform, which includes 12 concrete proposals to ensure the manufacturing sector’s competitiveness and growth. It echoes manufacturers’ concerns currently facing three main challenges: labour shortages, innovation, supply chains, and inflation.
“While discussing more than one economic recession, Quebec and its regions need prosperous businesses more than ever. We need to support the competitiveness and growth of our manufacturers, a key sector of our economy since it represents 12.6% of our GDP and 86.1% of our exports. The labour shortage is a critical and devastating issue. It has also become a major obstacle to creating wealth and revenue for the Quebec government. And it concerns us all,” concluded Proulx.