Could Quebec's unemployment rate hit a record low of about five per cent in 2019?
That is the optimistic prediction of Desjardins Group's senior economist, Hélène Bégin.
Right now, the province's jobless rate is 5.4 per cent.
Bégin said approximately 40,000 jobs were created across Quebec this year, much less than in 2017, which she notes was an exceptional year.
However, the economist says that she expects another growth year of about 40,000 jobs in 2019 and that the ongoing labour shortage will put upward pressure on wages.
Bégin suggests that workers will be "highly sought after and well rewarded" by employers. In 2018, wage increases in Quebec have averaged between 3.5 and 4 per cent for employees across most sectors of the economy.