Industry snapshot
A critical mass of jobs
The life sciences and health technologies (LSHT) sector employs more than 58,500 people in Quebec, with over 38,500 working in the three major sub-sectors: biopharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and natural health products. This figure does not include jobs related to university research.
Indirect jobs include all positions that contribute to the LSHT value chain, such as manufacturing, IT systems design, trucking, health product stores, construction, etc.
The LSHT sector can be compared across various North American jurisdictions using NAICS codes. The LSHT sector includes the following NAICS codes:
- 3254: Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing
- 3391: Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing
- 6215: Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories
- 334512: Manufacturing of Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments
- 41451: Wholesale Distributors of Pharmaceutical Products and Supplies
- 54171: Research and Development Services in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
Although imperfect because some codes do not exclusively cover jobs within our sector, NAICS codes reliably allow for data comparison across different jurisdictions.
By using this method and comparing Quebec to 13 North American jurisdictions known for their significant LSHT hubs, Quebec ranked 10th in 2021, gaining one place since 2018. Nevertheless, Quebec experienced the 3rd highest job growth rate in the LSHT sector between 2018 and 2021!
Quebec stands out with remarkably high compound annual growth rates in the following NAICS codes: 6215 (Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories) at +9.5%, 54171 (Research and Development Services in Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences) at +9.3%, and 3391 (Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing) at +5.2%.
More information on this study (link to come)
A globally recognized academic environment
With its 18 universities, most of which offer programs in LSHT, Quebec boasts a vast talent pool.
Four Quebec universities are listed in the QS World University Ranking (Life Sciences & Medicine, 2022), positioning the province in the top 10 among 21 North American LSHT hubs.
A pool of high-caliber talent
With its 18 universities, most of which offer programs in LSHT, Quebec boasts a vast talent pool. Four Quebec universities are listed in the QS World University Ranking, positioning the province in the top 10 among 21 North American LHST hubs.
Compared to other significant North American LSHT hubs ([link to one-pager for study 2]), Quebec stands out particularly in terms of the number of PhD students per million inhabitants in the active population (2nd out of 21) and the number of technical graduates and short-term training graduates in LSHT per million inhabitants in the active population (6th out of 21).
Compared to 21 major North American LSHT hubs, Quebec ranks 12th in the number of scientific publications in LSHT per million inhabitants. Two disciplines are particularly prolific: clinical medicine (51% of publications) and biomedical research (20%).
The number of publications in Quebec increased by 33% between 2016 and 2021!
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For more information on future jobs in Quebec, visit the following link.
Sources :
IND1 : KPMG pour Montréal InVivo (2023) Valeur économique de la chaine d’innovation québécoise en SVTS
IND2 : KPMG pour Montréal InVivo (2024) Indicateurs de performance et d’attractivité du secteur des SVTS