Laval hits record employment rate
Laval has one of the highest employment rates in the province of Quebec. With 80% of Laval residents as part of the work force or actively looking for a job, the active population of the region has almost reached its maximum capacity.
“Very few places in this country can claim having reached this rate,” said Jacques Chapdelaine, an economist with the regional bureau of Emploi-Quebec. One explanation he gave for this advantage is the strategic location of the municipality that allows it to benefit from the close proximity to the economic dynamism of Montreal and that of the North shore. “With new economic developments being created, Laval is a region that offers the potential of both land and space for businesses. Its proximity to road networks also allows for a more mobile work force,” he said.
Favorable predictions
The unemployment rate currently offered by the most recent study of the active population in February speaks to this fact, at 6.8%. “With the way the economy is going we should be able to maintain the annual average of 2007 at 5.1%, an excellent unemployment rate. The economic activity of the region is going well, consumers are spending more, new government investments are creating jobs and interest rates are staying low,” said Mr. Chapdelaine.
Between 2001 and 2006 the employment rate went up 19%, a growth of 3.8% per year. This growth is explained by the fact that the economic recession that is hitting the United States does not touch the most promising sector, the service sector.
“The recession is mostly hitting the manufacturing sector because they are the businesses that export the most. With the global competition and parity of the American dollar, American companies are less willing to import Canadian products,” said the economist.
Since 2003, 100, 000 jobs have been lost in Quebec in the manufacturing sector. Despite these losses, Mr. Chapdelaine remains optimistic. “The jobs that have been lost in that sector will be taken up by the service sector that is showing an internal demand. The growth rate may be less strong, but the activity rate will continue to increase.
Tightening job market
One consequence of a high employment rate is that the work force becomes rarefied. “For a given job opening there are less workers available than there were ten years ago,” said Jacques Chapdelaine.
With the massive retirement of baby boomers from the work force, the situation could become complicated in a few years. “It’s an unavoidable phenomenon, so businesses have to prepare to replace their work force and augment productivity, as much in the manufacturing industry as in the service sector. If we want to maintain our wealth, we have to produce differently.”
In addition, certain sectors such as construction and the manufacturing sector will have more difficulty recruiting because working conditions are sometimes unfavorable. “With the work force becoming more rarefied, companies will have to guard their interests,” the economist predicts.
Despite these socio-economic constraints Mr. Chapdelaine remains optimistic in the face of the future. “There is a huge awakening of conscience happening within businesses as well as within governments. If they are capable of adapting, it won’t be catastrophic.”
PHOTO DIGITALES: pick up from Courier Laval – March 23rd, page B5
(Photo: Martin Alarie)
Météo: Laval, 6 juillet 2008 / 25°C
/ Généralement dégagé
/ Vents: 11 Km/h / Humidité relative: 44 % 
Steven Guilbeault - 
