Young anglophones face higher unemployment, lower earnings despite efforts to integrate in Quebec

“I definitely felt not French enough,” said Samantha Restall, reflecting on her early experiences in the province’s workforce.

“I knew that if I didn’t speak French, I wouldn’t have a choice to stay here.”

For Claire Dooley, who moved from Vancouver to Montreal five years ago, the challenge was never deciding whether she wanted to stay in Quebec. It was figuring out how.

Her experience reflects a broader reality facing many young anglophones in the province.

In 2021, English-speaking Quebecers age 15 to 34 had an unemployment rate of 13.1 per cent, compared with 7.8 per cent among francophone youth, according to Statistics Canada.

This data was cited Tuesday by the groups Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) and Youth 4 Youth (Y4Y) Quebec, which presented the preliminary findings of their consultations with more than 200 English-speaking youth across the province.

Despite having higher levels of education on average, the groups reported, English-speaking youth statistically make less than their francophone counterparts. Among 25- to 34-year-olds, they earned a median income of $33,200, compared with $39,200 for francophone peers.

But the young people behind those numbers were not describing a generation eager to leave Quebec.