Job prospects Accountant in Québec

Job opportunities for Financial auditors and accountants (NOC 1111) are fair in Québec over the next 3 years. These job prospects are also applicable to people working as an accountant.

Note: These employment prospects were published in December 2021 based on the information available at the time of analysis. The next update will be in December 2022. To learn more, see our FAQs. You can also find additional information on the Canadian Online Job Posting Dashboard.

Job opportunities in Québec

accountant

Prospects over the next 3 years

Fair

The employment outlook will be fair for Financial auditors and accountants (NOC 1111) in Québec for the 2021-2023 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

Employment decline will lead to the loss of a few positions.
Several positions will become available due to retirements.
There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Employers usually require a university degree in business administration or accounting, as well as completion of the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) Professional Education Program. However, a diploma of college studies in Accounting, combined with a few years of experience, may be sufficient for some positions. Bilingualism, strong analytical skills, attention to detail, autonomy and computer knowledge, particularly in accounting software and Microsoft Office, are assets often in demand.

Changes in employment for this occupational group depend on the demand for accounting services across all industries, but particularly in services. The need for transparency, cybersecurity and accountability, and the need to prevent fraud, increase investment and track cash flow are expected to drive increased demand for accounting records, which could boost employment of these professionals. However, the automation of accounting now allows other employees to perform tasks previously performed by accountants, which reduces the magnitude of favourable trends for this occupation.

While it will be fair elsewhere, the employment outlook for this occupation will be good in the following regions:

Lanaudière and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, due to moderate job creation

Here are some key facts about Financial auditors and accountants in Québec:

Approximately 37,350 people work in this occupation.
Financial auditors and accountants mainly work in the following sectors:
- Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services (NAICS 5412): 38%
- Finance, insurance, real estate and leasing (NAICS 52, 53): 8%
- Provincial and territorial public administration (NAICS 912): 7%
The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
- Full-time workers: 90% compared to 80% for all occupations
- Part-time workers: 10% compared to 20% for all occupations
67% of financial auditors and accountants work all year, while 33% work only part of the year, compared to 58% and 42% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 35 weeks compared to 33 weeks for all occupations.
19% of financial auditors and accountants are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec by economic region.

Location	Job prospects
Abitibi-Témiscamingue Region	Good Good
Bas-Saint-Laurent Region	Fair Fair
Capitale-Nationale Region	Fair Fair
Centre-du-Québec Region	Fair Fair
Chaudière-Appalaches Region	Fair Fair
Côte-Nord Region	Fair Fair
Estrie Region	Fair Fair
Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Region	Fair Fair
Lanaudière Region	Good Good
Laurentides Region	Fair Fair
Laval Region	Fair Fair
Mauricie Region	Fair Fair
Montréal Region	Fair Fair
Montérégie Region	Fair Fair
Nord-du-Québec Region	Fair Fair
Outaouais Region	Fair Fair
Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Region	Fair Fair