Quebec’s Growing EV Industry Drives New Jobs But also the Need for Reskilling

Ottawa, April 13, 2022 — Quebec has emerged as a significant player in the Canadian electric vehicle (EV) industry, with expanding ability to compete internationally. New jobs and skills will be needed along with workforce development solutions, training, reskilling, and upskilling.  

This ICTC report, Recharging Quebec’s Auto Industry, published with contributions from Propulsion Québec, the cluster for electric and smart transportation, details the current and future labour demand and the skills needed within Quebec’s EV industry.  

Aligned with the Quebec government’s 2030 Plan for a Green Economy, Quebec has made the electrification of the transportation sector a major priority. Quebec’s strength in EV commercial vehicle market—garbage trucks, school buses, heavy equipment, and utility vehicles—is spurring the growth of technical roles like mechanical and electrical engineers, full stack developers, embedded software developers, and machine learning specialists, along with various emerging roles. 

But growing automation and digitization, which are central to EV production, significantly impact the labour force, bring about the contraction of jobs in traditional internal combustion engine vehicles production.  

While Quebec’s EV leaders hold an optimistic labour market outlook and are mobilizing the development of training programs to upskill or reskill their workforce, the province’s ability to effectively respond to changing workforce demands will be key to maintaining its competitive edge.  

The Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) is a not-for-profit, national centre of expertise for strengthening Canada’s digital advantage in a global economy. Through trusted research, practical policy advice, and creative capacity-building programs, ICTC fosters globally competitive Canadian industries enabled by innovative and diverse digital talent. In partnership with an expansive network of industry leaders, academic partners, and policy makers from across Canada, ICTC has empowered a robust and inclusive digital economy for over 30 years. 

Propulsion Québec, the cluster for electric and smart transportation, catalyzes the entire sector around joint projects with the objective of positioning Quebec among the world leaders in developing and implementing smart and electric modes of ground transportation, for the benefit of Quebec’s economy and environment. Created in 2017, as of January 2022 Propulsion Québec supports more than 250 members, from startups to large companies, including Quebec institutions, research centres and mobility operators, and deploys its resources across six distinct working groups to develop and support innovative projects. The cluster receives financial support from the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM), AttriX, Desjardins Group, Fasken, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, Hydro-Québec, and Québecor. 

To arrange an interview on this study or other media inquiries, please contact ICTC’s Paul Stastny at p.stastny@ictc-ctic.ca or 403.351.0138 Ext. 823.  

This Information and Communications Technology Council study was done with contributions from Propulsion Québec and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program.