Addressing the Labor Shortage in Quebec

In this first article of the series “Solar in Quebec: Between Opportunity and Transformation,” I draw on my 15 years of experience in the solar industry in France, the United States, and Quebec to offer a few reflections on the major shift coming to the province: 125,000 residential solar projects in the coming years.

And today, we’re starting with an issue that goes far beyond our sector: the labor shortage.

Because if Quebec wants to succeed in its solar transition, we first have to answer one essential question: who’s going to do the work?

A Market Already in Shortage

There won’t be enough workers in solar. That’s a fact.

Why? Because the labor shortage in Quebec is already a challenge, and the current solar sector—mainly off-grid—has been feeling it for years. For over two decades, solar energy has had a strong presence in the province, but mostly in autonomous applications: cottages, outfitter camps, RVs, boats, and more.

This niche market is one of the most advanced in the world in terms of expertise, thanks to experienced local professionals. According to the Énergie Solaire Québec directory, there are between 50 and 100 active specialists in this field (installers, distributors, developers, engineers, etc.).

Through my many site visits—especially among users of our Solutions Otonomi software—the trend is clear: demand is growing, but qualified resources are scarce. Finding experienced solar workers in Quebec is nearly impossible. Even hiring motivated, inexperienced candidates is a challenge, and keeping them is even harder. Other sectors, more established and offering better pay, make recruitment highly competitive. The problem is even more pronounced in the regions, where even attractive salaries aren’t enough.

So when Hydro-Québec announced its goal of equipping 125,000 homes, after my initial reaction of “Wow, finally!”, my second thought was: “Okay… but how are we going to pull this off?”

Unfortunately, poorly thought-out announcements can have unintended consequences. In this case, many homeowners, after reading the news, rushed to contact solar installers… who have no additional staff.

The result? Overloaded professionals, no extra workers, and clients being told to wait until next year.

So in this already stretched context, what are the possible solutions?

Skilled Workers from Abroad

If local resources aren’t enough, why not look elsewhere? Many mature solar markets already exist around the world. It could be worthwhile to attract qualified talent to our province.

Francophone countries are an obvious starting point: France, Switzerland, Belgium, several African nations. Many of these professionals already have 5, 10, 15, even 20 years of experience.

But immigration means politics. To facilitate this kind of recruitment, collaboration with the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration is essential to help speed up the process.

Installers, engineers, salespeople—there’s a wide range of profiles. And I speak from experience: I moved here 8 years ago. And I’m not the only one. I believe at least one French person works in a third of solar companies in Quebec. (Hello to all of you!)

Hiring Incentives

If we want local talent to join this fast-growing industry, we also need to support employers.

Why not offer tax breaks for hiring junior profiles willing to learn? This would help established businesses reduce the financial risk of hiring people who might not stay long-term.

Supporting competitive salaries is also essential to retain talent, especially against other sectors.

And for those being hired? Let’s fund training programs to help them build skills quickly. That could mean technical training centers or more formal academic programs. The CEGEP of Jonquière, with the Centre TERRE, already offers one. Giving flexibility between short, blended, or full training programs would allow for a wider range of entry points.

Optimizing Existing Teams

The fastest and most cost-effective solution is optimizing the teams already in place.

With a labor shortage, digital tools become essential. Yes, I see you guessed it: let’s talk about software.

Automating repetitive tasks allows skilled professionals to focus on what really matters. This includes sales, marketing, inventory management, and more. With the rise of AI, some tasks can be cut in half.

It’s time the Quebec solar industry fully embraced digital tools to make day-to-day work more efficient. Tools like our Otonomi DX solar calculator, for example 😛.

No software can replace a human. But it can ease the workload, speed up the onboarding of new hires, and help them grow faster in their role.

Watch Out for the Wave

If this wave isn’t surfed, it could wipe out the entire market.

If we don’t offer a strong local response, others will step in—less scrupulous ones. Companies from other provinces or the U.S. using aggressive “door-knocking” sales tactics, charging two or three times the normal prices, and leaving behind faulty systems and indebted customers…

Let’s not get overwhelmed. Let’s act now.

In the next article, we’ll talk about training and certification. Stay tuned.

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