Since June 1, 2023, following a reform of the Charter of the French language (the “Charter”), Québec employers have had to adjust their recruitment practices to meet the new language requirements. This includes rules around job postings requiring that candidates speak a language other than French.
Requiring bilingualism for certain positions used to be common practice among Quebec employers. Since the reform, employers must meet three conditions if they want to include such a requirement in their job postings:
- Actual language needs: Employers must determine whether candidates actually need to speak a language other than French to perform the duties of the job.
- Language knowledge among existing employees: Employers must ascertain that none of the existing employees can perform these duties.
- Number of positions requiring another language: Positions requiring languages other than French must be kept to a minimum.