Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 54): Quebec, 2025
Highlights
The professional, scientific and technical services industry accounted for an average of 8.5% of Quebec's total employment and more than 20% of jobs in Canada between 2022 and 2024.
Job prospects in the professional, scientific and technical services sector will be favourable, particularly due to computer systems design, architectural, engineering, prospecting and design services, and the advertising and related services segment.
The strong demand for a highly qualified workforce with cutting-edge skills should significantly reduce job losses and promote job growth in this industry.
About the sector
Sector composition and importance
This sector's activities consist in providing knowledge and know-how to companies and individuals. Employment in professional, scientific and technical services accounted for 8.5% of total employment in Quebec on average between 2022 and 2024. The sector's importance to the Quebec economy is lower than in Ontario and the Canadian average.
Just over 20% of the jobs in the sector in Canada are located in Quebec. However, Ontario's share is twice as large, accounting for over 44% of Canadian jobs in professional, scientific and technical services. The sector's importance in Ontario stems in part from having head offices in Toronto, which makes up 60% of Ontario jobs in this industry.
The industry is comprised of highly diversified subsectors, but what they all have in common is the need for highly educated workers. Most of the sector's employment (54.2%) is concentrated in computer systems design and architectural, engineering, prospecting and design services. Though legal or accounting services still account for nearly 22% of jobs.
The average hourly wage in Quebec was $43.04 in 2024 for workers in professional, scientific and technical services, which is higher than the average for all industries ($33.84).
| Legal and accounting services | Architecture, Engineering, Survey and Design Services | Computer systems design and related services | Other professional, scientific and technical services | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.9% | 21.3% | 32.9% | 24.0% |
Geographical distribution of employment
This sector accounted for an average of 380,100 workers in the province between 2022 and 2024, and nearly two thirds of them were concentrated in the Montréal census metropolitan area (CMA).
Outside of the Montréal CMA, only the Capitale-Nationale region accounts for a share of employment that reaches 10%, the other regions generally account for less than 5% of total employment. In terms of variation over the period, employment increased the most on average in the regions of Lanaudière (+15.4%), Abitibi-Témiscamingue (+13.2%) and Bas-Saint-Laurent (+11.3%), while the sharpest declines were recorded in the regions of Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec (−14.1%) and Centre-du-Québec (−13.5%).
Table 1 Employment by region
| Region | Average employment 2022-2024 | Share of total employment |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1,896,700 | 9.4% |
| Quebec | 380,100 | 8.5% |
| Ontario | 846,600 | 10.6% |
Workforce
Workforce characteristics
The professional, scientific and technical services workforce is 57.7% male, compared with 52.5% for all industries.
With 20.9% of jobs, self-employed workers are almost twice as present in the sector as in all industries (11.1%). The proportion of salaried jobs in professional, scientific and technical services has been growing since 2015, but remains lower than in all industries. The share of full-time employment is higher in this sector than in all industries.
One of the primary characteristics of the sector's workforce is its high level of education. At 59.7%, the proportion of workers with a university degree is almost twice that of all industries (31.9%). Given the level of education required to work in the sector, the proportion of the workforce aged between 25 and 54 (73.7%) is higher than the Quebec average (65.0%).
Legal and accounting services are the two largest occupations in this sector in Quebec. Several occupations connected with computer systems design also account for a high volume of people in employment.
The number of immigrants in the labour pool is higher in the sector (23%) than for all industries (19%) in the province. However, the proportion of immigrants in the workforce is significantly lower in Quebec than in Ontario (40%).
Table 2 Main occupations in the sector
| Occupation | Sector share | |
|---|---|---|
| 11100 Financial auditors and accountants | 19,320 | 5.8% |
| 41101 Lawyers and Quebec notaries | 15,605 | 4.7% |
| 21222 Information systems specialists | 13,205 | 4.0% |
| 00018 Seniors managers - public and private sector | 10,780 | 3.2% |
| 21232 Software developers and programmers | 9,780 | 2.9% |
Recent evolution
Over the past ten years, the sector has had an average growth that is twice as fast as total employment in the province. Computer systems design is undoubtedly the fastest-growing segment, due in particular to the rise of task digitization, artificial intelligence and the growing need for cybersecurity consultancy. Whether it's to make up for the shortage of workers, meet customers' new needs in digital services or to increase the level of security, the need for digital transformation in companies remains high. The advertising and related services subsector has experienced strong growth in recent years due to growing demand for the rollout of advertising campaigns targeting both the public and businesses. Architectural, engineering, prospecting and design services, and to a lesser extent, management, scientific and technical consulting services have also grown. In contrast, legal services and, even more so, accounting services suffered job losses between 2022 and 2024.
From 2015 to 2019, the rate of employment growth was approximately double that of the services sector as a whole. This sector fared well during the pandemic and afterwards, thanks in particular to its great ability to adapt to remote work. Employment levels in 2024 were 12% higher than their pre-pandemic levels (2019). Between 2022 and 2023, the sector's annual employment growth rate had slowed, and the gap with progress made in all sectors in Quebec narrowed before returning to strong growth in 2024.
The sector's share of Quebec's real GDP has been increasing since 2020. From 6.4% in 2019, the sector's contribution to Quebec's real GDP reached 7.8% in 2024.
The current context of labour scarcity is also increasing companies' investment spending on machinery and equipment, with the aim of boosting productivity. Engineering services participate in this type of expenditure that increases the automation of production processes. This trend should continue despite an aging population. The result is a growing need for highly specialized expertise in many areas of the Quebec economy.
Hours worked were down by 2.9% in 2024 after three consecutive years of growth. Strong employment growth could explain this situation.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP | 100 | 106 | 109 | 116 | 123 | 125 | 142 | 154 | 161 | 162 |
| Hours worked | 100 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 118 | 111 | 130 | 135 | 143 | 139 |
| Employment | 100 | 97 | 102 | 106 | 112 | 110 | 117 | 121 | 122 | 125 |
Job perspectives
Over the 2025–2027 period, job prospects in the professional, scientific and technical services sector are expected to be favourable despite economic uncertainties related in particular to the imposition of tariffs by the American administration.
The sector's projected average employment growth will be similar to all industries. Growth will be higher in 2025, before slowing down over the next two years.
Subsector characteristics
IT services and architectural, engineering, prospecting and design services are the main job creators. Major investments in information technology should support the computer systems design subsector in response to the labour shortage and business competitiveness.
In addition, the increasing number of construction sites to address the housing shortage and technological advances in materials and processes will open up new opportunities in architecture and engineering, which should stimulate job growth. The increase in housing starts to meet growing demand for housing, combined with the downward trend in interest rates and inflation, should stimulate employment in these segments. Also, the maintenance and renovation of existing infrastructures to meet the demand for housing should promote job creation. Municipalities will also need to call on specialized services, such as those provided by engineering firms, water management experts, etc.
The focus on the decarbonation of the economy should also benefit the engineering segment. Paving, more efficient lighting and more resilient sanitary infrastructures will require engineering work in the coming years. Not to mention the governments' desire to design or renovate more energy-efficient infrastructures with greener buildings. Added to this are the numerous needs for sustainable development consulting and services, research and development in green technologies and new materials.
The recent development of certain subsectors, such as accounting services, management consulting and scientific and technical consulting services, also suggests prospects similar to the average of all industries.
The advertising and related services segment is also expected to perform well during the forecast period. The positive outlook for this subsector over the next two years will be driven by growth in demand for the rollout of advertising campaigns, particularly during the municipal (2025) and provincial (2026) elections.
Employment in legal services is expected to remain stable over the forecast period.
Job prospects in the professional, scientific and technical services sector are therefore expected to be favourable, as several types of occupations, particularly skilled jobs, are in high demand, and economic uncertainties related to tariffs will have a limited impact.
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
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Share of employment in Quebec |
Share of employment in the region |
AAGR* |
| QUEBEC as a whole | 100.0% | 8.5% | 2.3% |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 1.0% | 5.3% | 13.2% |
| Bas-Saint-Laurent | 1.2% | 4.6% | 11.3% |
| Capitale-Nationale | 10.0% | 9.2% | −0.5% |
| Centre-du-Québec | 1.5% | 4.4% | −13.5% |
| Chaudière-Appalaches | 3.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Estrie | 3.1% | 7.1% | −0.3% |
| Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine | 0.4% | 4.4% | 0.2% |
| Lanaudière | 3.4% | 4.5% | 15.4% |
| Laurentides | 7.1% | 7.8% | −6.3% |
| Mauricie | 1.6% | 4.7% | −0.1% |
| Montérégie | 18.2% | 8.1% | 4.5% |
| Outaouais | 2.8% | 5.0% | 3.0% |
| Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean | 2.0% | 5.8% | −2.6% |
| Montréal (metropolitan area) | 65.2% | 10.6% | 2.3% |
Table A2
Workforce Characteristics in Quebec, average 2022-2024
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | Volume | Share in the sector | Share in all sectors |
| Total employment | 380,100 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Males | 219,200 | 57.7% | 52.5% |
| Females | 160,900 | 42.3% | 47.5% |
| Aged 15-24 | 25,300 | 6.7% | 13.3% |
| Aged 25-54 | 280,100 | 73.7% | 65.0% |
| 55 years of age or older | 74,700 | 19.6% | 21.7% |
| Full-time employment | 336,000 | 88.4% | 81.7% |
| Part-time employment | 44,100 | 11.6% | 18.3% |
| Employee | 300,600 | 79.1% | 88.9% |
| Autonomous worker | 79,500 | 20.9% | 11.1% |
| No diploma | 5,300 | 1.4% | 9.4% |
| Diplôme d‘études secondaires | 28,900 | 7.6% | 17.4% |
| Post secondary certificate or diploma | 118,200 | 31.1% | 41.3% |
| University degree | 227,000 | 59.7% | 31.9% |
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