Sectoral Outlook 2012-2014 - Estrie Region

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Part 2: Sectoral Outlook

Industrial structure

Since the early 2000s, the industrial structure of the Estrie region has changed significantly. The influence of market globalization, the high value of the Canadian dollar and the shifting needs of an aging population are shaping the industrial landscape of Quebec.

Table 2 - Breakdown of Employment for Selected Industry Groups

Region: Estrie

Industry	Average for 2009-2011			2012-2014
	Level (thousands)	Share of employment		Average Annual Growth
	Region	Region	Province	Region	Province
All Industries	151.1	100.0%	100.0%	0.8%	0.7%
Primary	5.0	3.3%	2.2%	0.5%	0.2%
Manufacturing	27.8	18.4%	13.0%	0.6%	0.2%
Construction	9.2	6.1%	5.8%	0.2%	0.6%
Services	109.1	72.2%	79.0%	0.9%	0.8%
Consumer Services	38.8	25.7%	27.3%	0.8%	0.7%
Production Services	28.6	18.9%	26.2%	1.2%	1.1%
Public and Parapublic Services	41.8	27.7%	25.5%	0.9%	0.7%
Source: Service Canada, Quebec Region Historical estimates based on Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey

Manufacturing, which represented 27% of employment in 2000, accounted for approximately 18% in the 2009-2011 period. Though less marked, this decline can be seen throughout the province. Since the beginning of the new millennium, the manufacturing sector's share of employment in Quebec has dropped from 19% to 13%.

The primary sector, involved in the exploitation of natural resources, constitutes the smallest grouping. Its share fluctuated throughout the period, but job numbers are trending downward. Jobs in this sector currently account for 3% of the region's employment, compared with 2% in Quebec overall.

The service and construction sectors are the two major categories which have seen an increase in their share over the same period. Services, which already in 2000 provided employment for 65% of the workforce in the Estrie region, now employ 72%. Production services and health care have greatly contributed to this change. In Quebec, the service sector employs 79% of workers.

Finally, construction has been very vigorous over the past decade, accounting for about 6% of jobs both in the Estrie region and Quebec as a whole.