On June 21, 2022, the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) sent out almost 182,000 vacation cheques to workers in the Québec construction industry. A total of more than $553 million was distributed.

This represents a 10% increase in the total value of payments in comparison to the amounts paid out last summer ($503 million). This variation is explained mainly by the impressive recovery in activity on construction sites in 2021 after a fallback in 2020, which was due in large part to the closure of sites caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the number of hours worked in the construction industry in 2021 rose by 21% over the previous year, reaching 192.6 million hours. The industry has never seen such a high level of activity.

As we know, the employers pay monthly contributions to the CCQ for paid statutory holidays and vacations, as set out in the collective agreements. These amounts represent 13% of the salary earned by workers during each work week (vacations, statutory holidays, and sick leave). The amounts paid in were accumulated in the Fonds d’indemnités de congés annuels obligatoires et de jours fériés chômés, which is administered by the CCQ, between July and December 2021.

This year, the annual summer holiday in the construction industry will take place from Sunday, July 24, to Saturday, August 6, 2022.

Table of amounts paid out as vacation pay for annual obligatory vacation and paid statutory holidays

* Here, the regions indicate the region of residence of the recipients.
** The amounts paid out were accumulated in the Fonds d’indemnités de congés annuels obligatoires et de jours fériés chômés between July and December 2021. This fund is administered by the CCQ, and the contributions that must be paid in are determined by the collective agreements.