CCQ rates for residential, institutional-commercial and industrial: why the gap?

What are the construction sectors in Quebec?

Four sectors, five rate scales: residential is split into light and heavy. Each sector has its own 2025-2029 collective agreement, with its wage schedules. Here is what each one covers, based on the definitions of the CCQ and the agreements:

• Residential: buildings (or groups of adjoining buildings) where at least 85% of the floor area, excluding parking, is reserved for housing, and with no more than six storeys above ground for a new building, or eight in other cases.
  • Heavy residential: new construction of more than 4 storeys above ground (seen from at least one facade, excluding parking), or alteration, renovation, maintenance and repair of an existing building of more than 6 storeys.
  • Light residential: all other residential work.
• Institutional and commercial (I/C): buildings reserved mainly for institutional or commercial purposes, plus any construction that cannot fit into the other three sectors. This is the default sector.
• Industrial: buildings, with their installations and equipment, reserved mainly for an economic activity: mining of mineral resources, processing of raw materials or production of goods.
• Civil engineering and roadwork: structures of general interest, public or private utility, such as roads, water mains, sewers, bridges, dams, power lines and gas pipelines.

The agreements are negotiated separately: the I/C and industrial agreements were reached between the ACQ and the construction unions, the residential agreement between the APCHQ and the same unions, and the civil engineering and roadwork agreement between the ACRGTQ and the unions.

How do I know which sector applies to my job site?

The nature of the building or structure decides: not the client, not your trade, not the size of your company. A job site, as defined in the agreement, is any place where work subject to the R-20 Act is performed. Ask yourself these questions; I/C is the default sector, so it comes last:

1. Is it a structure of general interest (road, water main, sewer, bridge, dam, power line, gas pipeline)? Yes: civil engineering and roadwork.
2. Is the building used mainly to produce goods, process raw materials or mine mineral resources? Yes: industrial.
3. Is at least 85% of the floor area (excluding parking) reserved for housing, with six storeys or fewer above ground for a new building, eight or fewer in other cases? Yes: residential. It is heavy if the new construction exceeds 4 storeys above ground, or if the work affects an existing building of more than 6 storeys. Otherwise, it is light.
4. None of the above: institutional and commercial.

Applying these definitions directly: a new single-family house falls under light residential; a new five-storey building above ground, where at least 85% of the floor area is reserved for housing, falls under heavy residential; a mixed-use building where less than 85% of the floor area is used for housing leaves residential and moves to I/C (unless it falls under industrial or civil engineering).

Borderline cases exist. The CCQ sectors page gives the definitions, but does not describe a classification procedure. The industrial agreement even provides that some civil engineering work on industrial installations follows the civil engineering and roadwork agreement (section 3.03). If your job site is on the line between two sectors, ask the CCQ for written confirmation before setting your labour price.

What is the rate gap between sectors in 2026?

In 2026, I/C pays from $2.94/h (electrician, plumber) to $4.40/h (carpenter-joiner) more than light residential for a journeyman. Here are the rates for three trades in the five sectors. For these trades, I/C and industrial (excluding heavy industry) are at exactly the same rate.

Sources: schedules R and R-1 (residential), C (I/C), B (industrial) and D (civil engineering and roadwork) of the CCQ 2025-2029 collective agreements, reviewed on October 13, 2026. Day rates under the general rule, without the 13% vacation pay or benefits. All 25 trades are in our 2026 CCQ rates table; details by trade are on the electrician, plumber and carpenter-joiner pages.

Worked example: 1,000 hours of a journeyman's work

These are base wages. The 13% vacation pay is calculated on wages earned: for the electrician, the $2,940 gap becomes $3,322 ($2,940 × 1.13), before benefits. Applying the wrong sector's rate to a labour quote therefore skews the cost by several thousand dollars per thousand hours.

Watch out for special schedules. In industrial, heavy industry work follows schedule B-2: $54.46/h for a journeyman electrician, instead of $50.79/h under schedule B. Civil engineering and roadwork also has schedules for pipelines, wind power, power lines and communication networks. And each agreement has a schedule for isolated job sites (see below).

Why do rates differ from one sector to another?

Because each sector has its own collective agreement, with its wage schedules and annual increases. The official documents publish the rates, not the reasons for each gap: these come from separate agreements, sector by sector.

The 2026 increases, which took effect on April 26, illustrate the mechanism: +5.5% in light residential and +5% in the other sectors, according to the CCQ (some trades may also get a catch-up increase). The light residential electrician thus goes from $45.36/h (July 2025) to $47.85/h, and the I/C electrician from $48.37/h (April 27, 2025) to $50.79/h.

The agreements also set the rates for the following years, which helps for a quote spread over several seasons. In I/C, the journeyman electrician will move to $53.33/h on April 25, 2027, then to $55.46/h on April 30, 2028; in light residential, to $50.49/h then to $52.76/h on the same dates.

Do CCQ rates change by region?

No. The I/C and industrial agreements apply to the whole territory of Quebec, and the CCQ rates tool is searched by date and by sector, not by region. Only separate schedules cover isolated job sites, the James Bay region and north of the 55th parallel: R-2 (residential), C-1 (I/C), B-1 (industrial) and D-1 (civil engineering and roadwork). Example: in industrial, a journeyman electrician is paid $53.20/h under schedule B-1, versus $50.79/h under schedule B.

How do I choose the right rate in a labour quote?

Classify the job site first, then take the rate from the right schedule. Classify it from the plans (housing floor area, storeys, use), read the trade's rate in the sector's schedule or in the 2026 CCQ rates table, then add the 13% vacation pay and employer contributions before applying your margin. The CCQ employer cost calculator does this calculation.

In SubmitX, payroll for employees subject to the CCQ is calculated from timesheets, with hours tied to the project (see the features). CCQ payroll is part of the Pro plan (pricing on request) and the 7-day trial requires no credit card. Choosing the sector remains a decision the employer confirms according to the agreement. See also our CCQ payroll guide and the article on CCQ apprentice wages.

Frequently asked questions

How many construction sectors are there in Quebec?

Four: residential, institutional and commercial, industrial, and civil engineering and roadwork. Residential is split into light and heavy, which gives five rate scales. Each sector has its own 2025-2029 collective agreement.

What is the difference between light residential and heavy residential?

Heavy covers new construction of more than 4 storeys above ground and work on an existing building of more than 6 storeys. Any other residential building is light. In 2026, a journeyman electrician earns $47.85/h in light residential and $50.20/h in heavy residential.

What is the rate gap between residential and institutional-commercial?

In 2026, a journeyman electrician or plumber earns $47.85/h in light residential and $50.79/h in I/C, which is $2.94/h more (about 6%). For a carpenter-joiner: $45.76/h versus $50.16/h, which is $4.40/h more (about 9.6%).

Do CCQ rates vary by region?

No. Rates depend on the sector and the trade. Only separate schedules cover isolated job sites, the James Bay region and north of the 55th parallel.

Sources

• CCQ, Industry sectors: sector definitions.
• CCQ, Wages and rates: increases of April 26, 2026.
• CCQ, 2025-2029 collective agreement, residential sector: sections 1.01 and 21.01, schedules R, R-1, R-2.
• CCQ, 2025-2029 collective agreement, institutional and commercial sector: sections 1.01 35), 3.03, schedules C, C-1.
• CCQ, 2025-2029 collective agreement, industrial sector: sections 1.01 37), 3.03, schedules B, B-1, B-2.
• CCQ, 2025-2029 collective agreement, civil engineering and roadwork sector: sections 1.01 34), 17.01, schedules D, D-1.

Last checked: October 13, 2026. The rates were reviewed in the schedules of the collective agreements. In case of a discrepancy, the official text of the agreements prevails. This article is for information only and does not replace confirmation from the CCQ.