2012-02-27

Quebec's Weak Labour Record


Quebec has a terrible labour force.


"...That is, Quebec does not have the right economic environment for individuals and businesses to succeed...."

Really? I hadn't noticed.

"...The authors found that, on average, the creation of 100 public sector jobs may have eliminated about 150 private sector jobs and increased the number of unemployed workers by about 33..."

"...Quebec has one of the largest public sectors in all of Canada and the United States; it constituted almost one-fifth of total employment in the province on average between 2003 and 2007..."

"...The province’s public sector was nearly 30% larger than that in Alberta, which had the lowest public employment ratio in Canada during the same period..."

As the aforementioned Western province subsidizes us through equalization payments.

"...Additionally, Quebec has the highest rate of unionization in all of Canada and the United States. At 40.2%, Quebec’s average unionization rate from 2003 to 2007 is more than 10 times greater than the rate in North Carolina (3.9%), the North American jurisdiction with the lowest rate of unionization, and substantially higher than the rate in Alberta (24.0%), where the rate of unionization is lowest among the Canadian provinces. High unionization is particularly harmful to labour markets, as research shows that unions tend to reduce employment growth, profitability, and investment..."

Population of North Carolina: 9.6 million. Quebec: 7.9. Just saying.

"...In fact, Quebec maintains some of the most pro-union labour relations laws in North America..."

Quebec is anti-business. Pure and simple. The power of the unions here is psycho-scary unhealthy.

"...If the Quebec government is serious about making a transition from one of the worst performing labour markets to one of the best, a good first step would be to reduce its intervention in the labour market. Reducing public sector employment, bringing balance to the province’s labour relations laws, and freezing, or even eliminating, the minimum wage would be a good place to start..."

Not gonna happen. The government just concluded a ridiculous deal with unionized daycare workers. Quebec is way too suspicious of private enterprise and too hooked on unions to even consider such options.

Another problem with Quebec can be found in its moto: Je me souviens. I remember. That's the problem. Its long and selective memory holds it back. A simple piece of advice we have in life is to not hold on to things for too long. Why should it be any different with the government?



No comments:

Post a Comment

Mysterious and anonymous comments as well as those laced with cyanide and ad hominen attacks will be deleted. Thank you for your attention, chumps.