OQLF: 40% of Quebec companies looking for workers with English-language skills

The Office québécois de la langue française, the province’s language watchdog, says that 40 per cent of companies in Quebec are looking for workers with English-language skills.

That’s the results of a 2023 study conducted by Quebec’s statistics institute (ISQ). It focused particularly on companies’ and municipalities’ search for French or English language skills in a candidate during the hiring process.

A first edition of the study was conducted in 2018.

In 2023, 61 per cent of companies surveyed sought (required or simply wished for) skills in French, and 40 per cent sought skills in English.

The proportion of companies seeking skills in French increased between 2018 and 2023, from 52 per cent to 61 per cent. The proportion of companies seeking skills in English remained the same during that time period.

English skills were required by 26 per cent of companies in 2023, while 14 per cent simply wanted such skills.

“While knowledge of French is generally required to facilitate communication within the company, knowledge of English is required to facilitate communication outside the company,” said the OQLF in a press release.

The proportion of municipalities seeking English skills has fallen from 24 per cent in 2018 to 16 per cent in 2023.

“The Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French, assented to in 2022, amended the Charter of the French Language, notably by specifying the conditions that an employer must meet before requiring knowledge of a language other than French for access to a position,” writes the OQLF.

Before requiring knowledge of a language other than French, employers must take all reasonable steps the OQLF explains, to avoid requiring such knowledge, and ensure that the following conditions are met:

-have assessed the real language needs associated with the tasks to be performed;
-ensure that the language skills already required of other staff members are insufficient to perform the tasks in question;
-limit as far as possible the number of positions involving tasks requiring knowledge of a language other than French.

“When a company requires knowledge or a specific level of knowledge of a language other than French for access to a position, it must indicate in the job offer the reasons justifying this requirement.”