The Employers’ Council wants to recruit more than 200,000 workers between 60 and 69 years old

The Quebec Employers’ Council (CPQ) wants the province’s SMEs to recruit between 200,000 and 300,000 workers aged 60 to 69 in the coming years, in order to alleviate the labor shortage.

To achieve this, the CPQ launched a pilot project to support companies wishing to hire or retain workers in their sixties.

During the first phase of the project, which runs until December 2024, the CPQ account help 90 SMEs coming from the four corners of Quebec. For this initiative, the province has also granted $987,289 to the organization.

2034″,”text”:”This population pool of experienced employees is somewhat sidelined by employers. I would say that we will see the peak of the labor shortage until 2034″}}”>This population pool of experienced employees is somewhat sidelined by employers. I would say that we will see the peak of the labor shortage until 2034declares the senior director of human resources services and projects of the CPQManon Pelletier.

We would be very happy to get 200,000 [à] 300,000 new people from experienced staff. […] At this point, I couldn’t tell you how many years from now we might have reached 200,000.

However, she indicates that more companies will need to be supported to reach this figure.

We are speaking with the Ministry of Employment to be able to extend our first phase. With an extension [du financement]we will obviously be able to reach many more employers in the coming yearsexplains Ms. Pelletier.

A popular support in the regions

So far, 51 companies have been supported or will be supported shortly. THE CPQ notes that the support service is particularly popular in the regions of Quebec, particularly on the North Shore.

years and more who are heading towards retirement than in large urban centers like Montreal. There is also the fact that immigration is much lower in the regions than in Montreal”,”text”:”We see that it is mainly the regions that raise their hands. It is not by chance. We see that in the regions, there is a higher rate of people aged 60 and over who are heading towards retirement than in large urban centers like Montreal. There is also the fact that immigration is much lower in the region than in Montreal”}}”>We see that it is mainly the regions which raise their hands. It is not by chance. We see that in the regions, there is a higher rate of people aged 60 and over who are heading towards retirement than in large urban centers like Montreal. There is also the fact that immigration is much lower in the region than in Montreal.mentions Manon Pelletier.

However, she specifies that the CPQ does not want to prevent Quebecers from retiring after having contributed to society for many years.

60, sometimes at65 and for others at70. It is important to respect the person’s choices”,”text”:”We are not going against the fact that a person can and will decide, at a given moment in their life, to retire. Sometimes it will be at 60, sometimes at 65 and for others at 70. It’s important to respect the person’s choices”}}”>We are not going against the fact that a person can and will decide, at some point in their life, to retire. Sometimes it will be at 60, sometimes at 65 and for others at 70. It is important to respect the person’s choicesshe declares.

On the other hand, there are a good number of people who wish to continue working or who wish to return to the job market for all kinds of reasons. This is where we want to find these people.

Help in many forms

The program of CPQ offers businesses 35 hours of free support including:

• an evaluation, by the staff of the CPQthe reality of the company regarding the presence of employees aged 60 to 69 in its ranks and its practices to attract them;

• the development of human resources management measures that can be put in place to attract or retain people in their sixties;

• two follow-ups to note the progress and success of the application of the measures: the first after three months, the second after six months.

Businesses met in Sept-Îles which have obtained this assistance from CPQ believe that the support is personalized according to needs.

years and over”,”text”:”In our case, it concerned the ways in which we can promote job offers to attract people aged 55 and over”}}”>In our case, it concerned the ways in which we can promote job offers to attract people aged 55 and over.says the director of the Bois-Joli Creek Garden, Marie-Ève ​​Desrosiers.

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She emphasizes that the Garden is a community organization that is not able to offer competitive salaries similar to those of private companies.

To promote a job offer when salaries are a little lacking, we emphasize the working conditions offeredshe says.

We are in nature. Someone who has had a career all their life, behind a desk, will perhaps be bored when they retire, but will perhaps have a taste for being outside.

For her part, the marketing and logistics director of the Gallix ski resort, Manon Cariou, observes that it is difficult to keep employees, since they do not work all year round.

It is more complicated to retain them for the entire duration of the winter season she explains.

The support I received provides tools to improve team spirit in the station. I also learned how to pick up employees [de 60 à 69 ans], which are perhaps more difficult to approach. We had gaps at this leveladds Ms. Cariou.

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The Employers’ Council estimates that around 152,000 positions were vacant in Quebec at the end of 2023.

THE CPQ also suggests that 60% of positions in Quebec become vacant due to retirements.