Job prospects Formal Service Waiter/waitress in Québec

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "formal service waiter/waitress" in Québec or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Québec

These outlooks were updated on November 29, 2023.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be good for Food and beverage servers (NOC 65200) in Quebec for the 2023-2025 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to several new positions.
• Not many positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a small number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.

Future growth will mainly come from making up for the jobs lost during the health crisis, but this may not be enough to return to the pre-pandemic level.

A more difficult economic context and changes in consumer habits could undermine business profitability and limit the ability of companies to recruit staff. This occupation may therefore be disadvantaged by the anticipated decline in customers in dining rooms or in beverage outlets in favour of fast food, take-out meals and beverages consumed at home.

In addition, the restaurant industry is facing competition from companies that deliver ready-to-eat boxes and from retail businesses that are diversifying their service offering by opening fast food or ready-to-eat outlets.

After more than two years of travel restrictions, the recovery of leisure tourism will be beneficial to the occupation.

However, the continuation of remote work in companies and the slow recovery of business tourism could deprive restaurants of part of their clientele, especially in city centres.

Nonetheless, people with experience will easily find work. In addition, the scarcity of available labour will improve prospects for less experienced job seekers.

While the employment outlook for this occupation is good at the provincial level, it will be moderate in the regions of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Laurentides, Côte-Nord and Nord-du-Québec.

Here are some key facts about Food and beverage servers in Quebec:

• Approximately 24,400 people work in this occupation.
• Food and beverage servers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Food services and drinking places (NAICS 722): 90%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 45% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 55% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 20% of food and beverage servers work all year, while 80% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 28 weeks compared to 43 weeks for all occupations.
• Less than 5% of food and beverage servers are self-employed compared to an average of 12% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 27% compared to 52% for all occupations
  • Women: 73% compared to 48% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: 20% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 34% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 13% compared to 19% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 24% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 7% compared to 17% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 11% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Québec by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Labour market conditions over the next 10 years

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "formal service waiter/waitress" Food and beverage servers (NOC 65200) or across Canada.

Learn more