The labor shortage in Quebec is worsening day by day. It generates many problems in our society.

Several reasons are behind this tragedy that affect Quebec right now.

The first reason is the retirement of the baby boomers generation. After the second world war, a lot of people had kids either to avoid being drafted. The percentage of births increased by 33% from 1943 to 1968. The baby boomers’ retirement caused a significant exit of the workers. The number of vacant positions has exploded by about 39% in two years.

 ”The number of employees will decrease a lot and it will continue to get worse year by year,” said Pierre Cléroux, the chief economist of the Business Development Bank of Canada.

The second reason is the increase in education in the population. Now education is more accessible to everyone and they don’t want to do jobs like janitor, cashier, or farmer. They now ask for better working conditions. Like, such as more payday or more vacation options. 

The third reason is the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program. For many people, it’s more beneficial to stay at home because the government sends them money. Some people get more money for staying at home than for doing nothing. This doesn’t motivate them to go to work again.

The final reason is the Covid-19. Some people post-Covid see an opportunity to change jobs. As mentioned above, a lot of jobs that don’t need a diploma or special knowledge are the most affected by this labor shortage.

“Many workers have taken advantage of the pandemic to find work in other sectors,” said Fabian Lange professor in the Department of economics at McGill University.