Annual thresholds of 80,000 immigrants are needed over four years to deal with the labor shortage and the aging of the population, according to the Conseil du patronat du Québec, which unveiled its "White Paper on Immigration : overview and solutions”.

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The CPQ issued 18 recommendations aimed at facilitating the integration of immigrants in the regions and shortening the administrative delays for obtaining a work permit and permanent residence.

Among these recommendations, employers suggest improving the mechanism for recognizing the prior learning and skills of foreign workers, giving priority to adult immigrants who are proficient in French and increasing the number of international students.

"It seems obvious to us that we must increase the immigration thresholds to guarantee the future of Quebec because our needs in education, health and in all other fields will only grow," said Karl Blackburn, President and CEO of the CPQ.

Since 2016, the number of new arrivals has been constantly decreasing, while job vacancies have increased exponentially, deplores employers who believe that economic immigration must be part of the solution.

“What we need are short-term changes so that economic immigration meets the needs of our businesses in all regions of Quebec,” added Mr. Blackburn.