Quebec’s Net Migration With Other Provinces Is Improving

While Quebec relies, to some extent, on international immigration to alleviate its labour shortage in many of the province’s sectors and regions, the equation appears to give less consideration to cross-country movements by workers. For many years, net migration between Quebec and the rest of Canada, particularly Ontario, was negative. The situation has improved considerably in the past three years, as the difference between the number of people settling in Quebec and those leaving to other provinces has been nearly halved. Will this positive trend continue? If the jobless rate stays low and wages continue to grow faster than elsewhere in the country, this should foster worker retention while limiting the number of people leaving Quebec. However, it would be surprising for interprovincial net migration to turn positive and stay that way.