Table 4.4 shows that Quebec lags behind Canada in terms of participation by workers in informal job-related learning;, this gap is small but significant for small and medium-sized companies (fewer than 100 employees) in Quebec. Thus, as in the case of structured education and training where the gap is more pronounced (Table 2.4), the greater the size of the company, the better an employee's chances of participating in informal learning.

While the difference in rates of involvement in informal learning in Quebec and Canada seems to be impacted by company size, the professional profile of employees is also similarly influential (Table 4.5). In both Quebec and Canada, informal job-related learning tends to be more frequent among managers and professionals. The gap still exists between employees, regardless of professional status, in Quebec and Canada, but it is especially marked among blue-collar workers in Quebec, who are least likely to report informal learning. Table 3.6 shows, in the area of structured ALT, a similar relationship for each category of professional status, although the difference between Quebec and Canada in 2002 was virtually non-existent in that case.

Looking at the participation rate in informal job-related learning by sector of activity, we see that this kind of learning tends to be significantly weaker in three sectors, both in Quebec and Canada: the primary sector, public services and transport, and personal and corporate services (Table 4.6). This means that only about one employee out of two, in these there sectors in Quebec, report informal learning related to his or her work.