Information and cultural industry (NAICS 51): Quebec, 2025
Highlights
This sector represented 2.2% of average total employment in Quebec over the 2022–2024 period. Its dominant subsector in terms of gross domestic product and employment is the telecommunications industry.
In 2024, real GDP in the sector increased by only 0.3% to $13.2B, while all industries (1.3%) and all service industries (2.1%) have shown faster growth.
After a decline of 10.9% in 2024, employment is expected to grow slightly over the 2025–2027 period.
About the sector
Sector composition and importance
The activities of this sector consist of the creation and distribution of information and cultural products. They can be distributed through television, radio or the Internet. More officially, its main sub-sectors are publishing, motion picture and sound recording, broadcasting, telecommunications and data processing and hosting industries.
The information and cultural industries employed an average of 98,500 workers in Quebec between 2022 and 2024. This represents 2.2% of total employment in the province. The importance of the sector to the Quebec economy in terms of employment is slightly higher than that for the country and for Ontario.
Employment levels are relatively evenly distributed among the three main segments, which account for more than 90% of the total. The main segment, broadcasting and telecommunications, represents 35.9% of jobs. The motion picture and sound recording industry is next, accounting for three out of ten jobs. Publishing accounts for around a quarter of jobs. Finally, the other information services and data processing segment, which is more marginal but has strong potential for growth, accounts for 7.5% of jobs.
| Publishing industries | Motion picture and sound recording industries | Broadcasting and telecommunications | Information and data processing services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26.5% | 30.1% | 35.9% | 7.5% |
Geographical distribution of employment
Over three quarters of jobs are in Montréal's census metropolitan area. The sector's share in Montréal's economic region is the highest at 3.1%, compared to 2.2% for the entire province.
Table 1 Employment by region
| Region | Average employment 2022-2024 | Share of total employment |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 382,900 | 1.9% |
| Quebec | 98,500 | 2.2% |
| Ontario | 152,600 | 1.9% |
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
The workforce is primarily male, with men holding 6 out of 10 positions. Their share of jobs in this sector is higher than that of men in all sectors (52.5%). In addition, workers are more likely to have a university degree in this sector compared to all sectors.
Between 2022 and 2024, 9 out of 10 jobs were full-time, exceeding the industry average for the same period (8 out of 10). In addition, this industry has more workers between the ages of 25 and 54 than all sectors, and consequently fewer workers between the ages of 15 and 24 and 55 and over.
A large proportion of workers are employees, but the proportion of self-employed workers is higher than in all industries. This is particularly true in the motion picture and sound recording segment, which has a high proportion of self-employed workers (22.4%), due to its program and film production activities.
Producers, directors and choreographers account for 6.0% of employment, making them the leading occupations in the sector. Graphic designers (4.3%) ranked second, followed closely by telecommunications and cable installation technicians with a share of 3.8%.
Table 2 Main occupations in the sector
| Occupation | Sector share | |
|---|---|---|
| 51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations | 5,395 | 6.0% |
| 52120 Graphic designers and illustrators | 3,885 | 4.3% |
| 72205 Telecommunications equipment installation and cable television service technicians | 3,450 | 3.8% |
| 52113 Audio and video recording technicians | 2,870 | 3.2% |
| 64100 Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 2,795 | 3.1% |
Recent evolution
Between 2013 and 2019, employment levels followed a generally downward trend, resulting in an average decline of 3.0% per year, in contrast with an average growth of 1.1% across all industries. This decline is linked to significant declines in employment in all segments, particularly telecommunications. The situation was reversed in 2020. While all industries saw a decline in employment levels, the information and cultural industries experienced strong growth. The magnitude of this growth is partially attributable to the restrictions that were imposed on the population with the arrival of the pandemic in 2020. The industry benefited from the situation as people were eager for home entertainment, not to mention remote working, which requires a good Internet service. The fact that households have been spending more time in their homes therefore stimulated the demand for several segments, such as video game publishers, motion picture and sound recording, and audio and video streaming. After peaking in 2023, employment fell by 10.9% in 2024. The unemployment rate reached 5.1% in the industry, its highest level since 2011. The publishing subsector, which includes video games, suffered from the end of the Government of Quebec's tax credits. The unemployment rate in the motion picture and sound recording subsector exceeded 9% (9.1%). Meanwhile, broadcasting and telecommunications saw a sharp decline (−22%) in employment levels in 2024. In short, the industry has been particularly affected by the end of subsidies and technological transformations brought on by artificial intelligence.
Regarding real gross domestic product (GDP), it grew by an average of 2.5% in this industry over the period of 2015 to 2024, higher than the average annual growth for all industries. Real GDP had grown for 7 consecutive years, but 2023 and 2024 broke this trend. During these years, real GDP for the information and cultural industries decreased by $17.7M in 2023 and $40.8M in 2024 to reach $13.3B. Of the total, nearly two thirds came from sector contributions generated by the broadcasting and data processing, web hosting, and related services segments. The broadcasting branch (excluding via the Internet), as well as the motion picture and sound recording branch both endured significant declines in production in 2024.
Investment in the information and cultural industries has been particularly strong in recent years. In 2024, capital investment and repairs have remained relatively stable compared to their level over the last three years. Nevertheless, they remained strong, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP | 100 | 102 | 106 | 109 | 115 | 116 | 118 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| Employment | 100 | 99 | 97 | 94 | 88 | 97 | 104 | 112 | 127 | 113 |
Job perspectives
For the 2025–2027 period, the outlook for employment growth is positive, but at a lower rate than for all industries. The recent decline in the information and cultural industries' employment seen in 2024 is thus not expected to continue over the forecast period. The projected growth, although limited, remains positive.
The information and cultural industry is not the sector most directly affected by the trade tensions with the United States, but the decline in overall demand due to lower consumer spending will inevitably end up affecting all segments of the industry. The slowdown in the economy in general, and in population growth, is likely to weigh on employment prospects in this sector, as is the case for several other sectors in Quebec's economy.
More specifically, the tariffs proposed by the president of the United States on American films produced abroad would further weaken the most labour-intensive subsector, the film industry. The tariff proposal is creating instability and uncertainty, even before this protectionist policy is implemented, if it is implemented at all. In addition to this particular context is the Government of Quebec scaling back tax incentives compared to other jurisdictions for filming locations. All of these factors offset some of the advantages associated with the favourable exchange rate of the Canadian dollar, which reduced production costs.
The second most significant subsector in terms of employment, telecommunications, will continue to benefit from the economy's high dependence (e-commerce, cybersecurity) on high-speed Internet services. However, growth in this subsector will also depend on productivity gains and not just traditional job creation. Additionally, the line between telecommunications and information services and data processing is becoming increasingly blurred, as demonstrated by recent acquisitions by major players specializing in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital services. Therefore, it is necessary to exercise caution and not necessarily attribute job gains in the information services and data processing subsector to the telecommunications subsector. Though, no matter how they are attributed, the new jobs generated by new activities related to the digitization of the economy will not be able to offset the job losses associated with structural changes across the industry as a whole.
Changes in consumer habits are evident. While the proliferation of subscription services has enabled the publishing industry, among others, to make its transition to the digital world, will households be able to continue subscribing to as many online content platforms? Competition is strong, and household budgets are increasingly strained by basic expenses. Some choices will need to be made.
One thing is for certain: movie theatre attendance was down in Quebec in 2024. The latest data published by the Observatoire de la culture et des communications du Québec on movie theatre attendance shows a 7% decline in theatre admissions compared to 2023. The decline is even more significant compared to 2019 (−28%), which was the pre-pandemic level. It is clear that the consumption of cultural content on the Internet is becoming increasingly widespread, whether it be watching videos, listening to podcasts, playing video games, or following the news.
Long recognized as an important hub of the knowledge and high-tech economy, the software and video game publishing segment could deteriorate further in the longer term. The abolition of the Quebec government tax credits for the production of multimedia titles, announced in early 2024, is difficult to withstand. A wave of layoffs has been observed since its implementation, particularly since the end of 2024. Montréal has definitely lost a major advantage for video game publishers compared to other cities in Europe and Australia.
The broadcasting sector is also experiencing less happy times, with the drop in the numbers of listeners and viewers and, by extension, advertising income. The value of production by general-interest broadcasters in Quebec is also down by 9% in 2023–2024 compared to 2022-2023, according to the Profil de l'industrie audiovisuelle au Québec (2025, ISQ). Conversely, the value of productions intended for online distribution is increasing.
Other important aspects
The double Hollywood strike (writers and actors) in 2023 may have ended after five months of labour disputes, but these strikes largely contributed to the decline in the number of foreign productions and production services in Quebec in 2023–2024. This decline will still have repercussions on the motion picture and sound recording segment at the start of the forecast period, especially in the post-production industry.
We must not forget that there is a general climate of uncertainty common to all industry segments: the Trump administration's potential tariffs on foreign location shooting could harm the audiovisual industry. The future of local and regional print media is compromised by the use of social networks for information, general-interest broadcasters are faced with a decline in advertising revenue for the same reasons, and telecommunications infrastructures are at the mercy of extreme weather events that weaken existing networks. But above all, the use of artificial intelligence could greatly modify the tasks of several occupations in the sector. The layoffs in visual effects and animation studios announced in 2024 will not be the last. Not to mention the increasingly strong international competition.
In conclusion, the industry's big players are going through turbulent times, with a drop in advertising income and changes in consumer habits. The web giants are here to stay and will continue to eat into the profits of more traditional companies, even if they pay them royalties. Maintaining a positive path for employment will depend on modernizing the laws governing the sector, on intellectual property, among other things, which will inevitably take time and is unlikely to be completed by the end of the forecast period.
For further information
Note: In preparing this document, the authors have taken care to provide clients with labour market information that is timely and accurate at the time of publication. Since labour market conditions are dynamic, some of the information presented here may have changed since this document was published. Users are encouraged to also refer to other sources for additional information on the local economy and labour market. Information contained in this document does not necessarily reflect official policies of Employment and Social Development Canada.
Prepared by: Labour Market Analysis Directorate, Service Canada, Québec Region. For further information, please contact the Labour Market Analysis Directorate at: contact the LMI team
Appendix
Table A1
Geographic Distribution of Employment and Employment Outlook in Quebec, average 2022-2024
| Information and Cultural Industry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Share of employment in Quebec |
Share of employment in the region |
AAGR* |
| QUEBEC as a whole | 100.0% | 2.2% | 2.9% |
| Capitale-Nationale | 5.9% | 1.4% | 22.2% |
| Estrie | 1.9% | 1.1% | 0.4% |
| Lanaudière | 5.2% | 1.8% | −13.1% |
| Laurentides | 5.9% | 1.7% | −11.9% |
| Mauricie | 1.6% | 1.3% | 4.5% |
| Montérégie | 18.2% | 2.1% | 2.8% |
| Outaouais | 3.9% | 1.8% | −1.7% |
| Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean | 1.9% | 1.5% | 11.6% |
| Montréal (metropolitan area) | 74.1% | 3.1% | 2.7% |
Table A2
Workforce Characteristics in Quebec, average 2022-2024
| Information and Cultural Industry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Volume | Share in the sector | Share in all sectors |
| Total employment | 98,500 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Males | 60,100 | 61.1% | 52.5% |
| Females | 38,400 | 38.9% | 47.5% |
| Aged 15-24 | 8,400 | 8.5% | 13.3% |
| Aged 25-54 | 71,300 | 72.4% | 65.0% |
| 55 years of age or older | 18,800 | 19.1% | 21.7% |
| Full-time employment | 86,900 | 88.2% | 81.7% |
| Part-time employment | 11,600 | 11.8% | 18.3% |
| Employee | 85,000 | 86.3% | 88.9% |
| Autonomous worker | 13,500 | 13.7% | 11.1% |
| No diploma | x | x | 9.4% |
| Diplôme d‘études secondaires | 10,500 | 10.7% | 17.4% |
| Post secondary certificate or diploma | 42,400 | 43.1% | 41.3% |
| University degree | 43,300 | 44.0% | 31.9% |
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