Michel Cournoyer is an economist (MA and BA-Honours at McGill University) from Quebec (Canada), specialized in labor economics and econometrics, now retired after a distinguished career in Quebec’s Public Employment Services, Emploi-Québec, first as an expert and then as manager.

He has received numerous scholarships and awards including: First class honors student, Great Distinction, Canada Council Scholarships Council, McGill University Scholarships, the Cherry Prize in Economics, and the Leadership Award of Quebec’s Association of community organizations for employability.

He wrote is thesis on the issue of minimum wage impacts on employment and its determination in Québec where he argues that the impacts depend on the context, the higher the minimum wage relative to the average wage and to minimum wages in neighbouring jurisdictions, the more numerous are minimum wage earners and the more important are the impacts. Hence, negative impacts are minimized by linking the minimum wage to the average wages and partnering with neighbouring jurisdictions in increasing its level.

Those recommandations were put in practice in mid 80′s in Quebec and lead out of a minimum wage freeze of more than 5 years.

Michel was editor of InfoCompétences and SkillsInfo, Director General of planning and labour market information at Emploi-Québec, director of regional operations in Laval and director of the National Fund for Manpower Training (the so-called 1% Law).

He has been director of strategic planning, research and evaluation at the Quebec immigration Department.

He has taught labour economics and labour market policy analysis respectivly at Hautes Études commerciales et Université de Laval (Industrial relations) in the 80,s and 90′s.