By the Monster Career Coach
The year 1534 is when Jacques Cartier, a bold explorer from France, became the first European to reach the area now known as Montreal. Today this cosmopolitan hotspot has come a long way from being known as “Sin City” during the American prohibition of the 1920’s, when folks from the U.S. flooded across the border to take advantage of Montreal’s more relaxed policies.
Within the city of Montreal itself there are 1.6 million residents. Add in the surrounding Greater Montreal Area and population tops out at some 3.5 million.
Montreal is widely represented in terms of ethnic and religious backgrounds. As for language, about 65% of the population’s mother tongue is French, 23% or so English, and the remaining 12% is a mixture of others.
Unlike some other large Canadian cities, Montreal has weathered the global slowdown rather well overall. This is due in large part to considerable infrastructure spending and government stimulus funds, helped along by the area’s diversity of employers.
Economic Movers and Shakers
In 2009 Montreal has had a number of sectors perform better than average. These include the following categories:
Construction and infrastructure maintenance - Between tax credits and stimulus funding, there has been steady demand in building and repairing such large scale public thoroughfares as roads, bridges, sewers, underground wiring and the like. This has been good for everyone from construction workers and technicians to architects and engineers.
Retail sales - Consumers are expected to spend at least as much this year as last year for holiday season sales. Small merchants hire as people’s wallets open with pent up demand for products and services. Retail stores need salespeople, cashiers, accounting services, managers, secret shoppers and more.
Mining - With the increasing price of metals, companies in Montreal that service the mining industry are doing well. For instance, employers are hiring in specialty insurance firms, transportation of mined products and exploration.
Transportation - Bombardier Inc., a world class manufacturer of sophisticated planes and trains, is in exclusive talks with French rail giant SNCF for a huge contract, potentially worth up to $12.6-billion, to build a new fleet of suburban and regional trains. Even a smaller contract would require the hiring of skilled laborers like welders and electricians, technical specialists, engineers and designers.
Wholesale trade - This industry consists mainly of wholesale merchants buying merchandise and raw materials to sell to businesses and organizations such as retailers and other resellers, trade contractors, associations and other wholesalers. With inventories being replenished, demand is up for business developers, customer service representatives, key account managers, and logistics specialists.
Slower Spots
Two areas particularly affected in Montreal during the slowdown are exports and tourism. Exports flagged due to decreased global demand. There was the double whammy of a high Canadian dollar too, which makes local products more expensive to foreign buyers.
The soaring Loonie also discouraged international travelers from visiting Montreal. Occupancy rates at hotels and meals served at tourist restaurants declined.
Signs of Growth
Is yet another $10 billion deal enough to convince you that more growth in Montreal is on the horizon? In early November this year Hydro Quebec acquired NB (New Brunswick) Power's nuclear and hydro generating stations, the transmission system and other assets.
The likelihood is that some jobs will migrate to Montreal when all is said and done. Moreover, new projects mean more construction, which leads to additional employment opportunities.
Another positive area is in post-secondary educational institutions. Close to a quarter million students attend six universities and 12 junior colleges and/ or CEGEPs in Montreal and its boroughs. Due to increased enrolment there are more funds available and thus more jobs, at every level from administrative assistants, to finance, marketing communications, human resources and labour specialists, etc.
Outlook
Given that Montreal’s economy was relatively resilient during the downturn, expectations for 2010 are that moderate growth will continue. Stimulus money is expected to be replaced by consumer spending and private sector investment.
For more information, you can visit the
Montreal official city portal or the
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. They provide details about the types of employers and economic trends for the city. Two things you’ll find there for sure: fully bilingual sites in English and French, and l’esprit (the spirit) of Montreal that makes it such a unique city.