A significant economic disparity is costing Quebec billions, according to a new report. The study, released in December 2025, calculates that the persistent gap in employment and income between English- and French-speaking Quebecers results in an estimated $1.5 billion in lost income for the provincial economy every year.
Quantifying the Disparity
The report, titled The State of Employment among English-speaking Quebecers, builds on 2021 census data. That data confirmed that English-speaking Quebecers face consistently higher unemployment and lower incomes compared to their French-speaking neighbours. Researchers combined this with monthly labour market statistics to arrive at the substantial financial impact.
According to the census, the unemployment rate for those whose first official language is English was 10.9%, compared to 6.9% for French speakers—a four-percentage-point gap. Furthermore, English speakers had a median employment income that was $5,200 lower and a poverty rate of 10%, nearly double the 5.8% rate for francophones. These gaps have widened since the previous census, despite English speakers having higher average education levels.
Root Causes and Missed Potential
Nicholas Salter, executive director of the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT), which focuses on anglophone employment challenges, pinpointed systemic underfunding as a key issue. He explained that Quebec's Employment Ministry spends less per capita on the English-speaking community, which makes up 16% of the provincial labour force. Services are often a one-size-fits-all approach, failing to address specific community needs.
"We think if we can get the message out that there's this highly skilled, bilingual workforce that is underutilized and represents a great untapped potential, that we can mobilize industry and government to see our community as a resource," Salter stated. "This report is really trying to focus on showing the strength of what our community could contribute."
Salter also highlighted a damaging misconception that the English-speaking community is uniformly wealthy, which leads to inaction. The reality, he stressed, is the opposite for many. PERT advocates for an integrated approach that combines employment services with targeted French-language training and skills development, as many require specific professional vocabulary despite high bilingualism rates.
Government Response and Future Outlook
The report's findings emerge amid broader economic anxieties in Quebec and Canada, including U.S. tariffs and labour shortages in key sectors like healthcare and technology. Recent provincial funding cuts, such as $446,000 slashed from YES Employment + Entrepreneurship, a Montreal organization aiding young anglophones, have raised concerns about the government's priorities.
When contacted for comment, Employment Ministry spokesperson Jonathan Gaudreault said the department had not yet seen the report and could not comment. He noted the ministry funds an advisory committee to understand integration challenges and works with the secretariat for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers.
However, Salter sees a potential for change with the September 2025 appointment of Christopher Skeete as the minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers. Skeete has identified employment as a top priority and has been in talks with PERT.
"There's a lot of opportunity to get investments again being made," Salter said. "I think our report shows there's a huge untapped potential." The report warns that without intervention, these labour-market gaps are projected to persist through 2028, representing a continued drain on Quebec's economic potential.
