Administrative Jobs: Work in the city or in the country?

Administrative professions have the advantage of enjoying a certain versatility, since they are present in all types of organizations and in any region. There are secretaries, receptionists and office clerks both in SMEs and in large companies. But is it more beneficial for people interested in these fields to work in the country?

According to Emploi-Québec, 14% of administrative assistants work in the health sector, 14% in public administration, 11% in education services, 10% in the scientific sector, 9% in finance and 42% in other sectors…  In other words, a wide-ranging profile!

For those who would like to work in the provincial public service, job openings are concentrated in Quebec City and Montreal, with a preference for the Montreal metropolitan region, which hires more civil servants than Quebec City (40,102 compared to 37,401 in 2008).

However, several regions of Quebec have “favourable” job prospects in the position of administrative assistant, according to Emploi-Québec – this is the case for Bas-Saint-Laurent, Lanaudière, Chaudière-Appalaches and Outaouais. Montreal has to be contented with an “acceptable” profile.

Advantages and disadvantages

Living in the country or in a large centre has its share of advantages and disadvantages. For example, salaries are usually lower in the country. This is the case for the job of administrative assistant – in 2010 the average salary was $45,000 in Montreal and $40,000 in Bas-Saint-Laurent.

In addition, a large region like Montreal offers a pool of administrative jobs that cannot be compared to any given rural region. There are obviously more opportunities for moving from one sector to another or to advance in a given sector.

On the other hand, in some respects the cost of living in the country tends to be lower. A good example is in house prices – the Montreal real estate market has a lower affordability index than Quebec City, according to Desjardins.

Finally, residents of medium-sized cities generally seem to enjoy a greater quality of life. This is indicated by the Relative Happiness Index (RHI) for cities: while Montreal ranks dead last (48^th) in the cumulative 2006-2014 RHI, small cities such as Sainte-Julie (1^st), Rimouski (3^rd) and Victoriaville (7^th) are at the top of the winners list… for their highest level of happiness!