Self-employment in Quebec a brief foray

The impression that self-employment is growing more and more and occupying a larger place in Quebec’s labour market needs to be qualified. The numbers of self-employed workers are growing, yet self-employment represents a smaller proportion of total employment in Quebec than is the case in Canada and in Ontario. Although the majority of selfemployed workers are men, more and more women are joining their ranks. Self-employment is more common among those aged 55 and up, and it will be interesting to see how the aging of the population, the scarcity of labour and the willingness to increase entrepreneurship will shape the labour market in the years ahead.