The report presents the latest developments on the situation of immigrants and visible minorities in the Quebec and Canadian labor markets. In 2021, immigrants represented 14.6% of the Quebec population and 23% of the Canadian population. In Quebec, the unemployment rate of immigrants has fallen sharply over time, but immigrants are still more exposed to unemployment and hold lower-paid jobs than native-born Canadians.

As for visible minorities, their proportion of the population was 16.1% in Quebec (26.5% in Canada) in 2021. In addition, nearly one in four Quebecers under the age of 25 (22.2%) is a member of a visible minority, a reality that the labour market will have to deal with, and that public policy decision-makers need to take into account.

Our findings suggest that labour market integration in Quebec and Canada is determined more by belonging to a visible minority than by being an immigrant. Even if they were born in Canada, members of visible minorities seem to have difficulty finding a place in the job market. In a context where Quebec and Canada are seeking to recruit more workers from abroad to deal with labor shortages, logic would suggest that we first realize the full potential of the working-age population already here. In addition, the situation of young Canadians from visible minority backgrounds deserves special attention to avoid the risks of their socio-economic exclusion and the consequences this could have on social cohesion.