Economic Development Agents
Job description
These individuals conduct research, formulate policy, and administer programs. They aim to stimulate industrial and commercial investment and tourism in rural and urban areas. They promote commercial or industrial products and services. They are self-employed or work for:
- The public service
- International organizations
- Marketing companies
- Business associations
Environment
- Controlled ambient temperature
Main tasks
- Develop policies and administer programs.
- Design market research questionnaires.
- Conduct social or economic studies to assess development potential and future trends.
- Conduct surveys about consumer buying habits and preferences.
- Plan, coordinate, and evaluate development projects.
- Create business ties with representatives of companies, business associations, and organizations.
- Assess business opportunities and develop strategies to attract industrial and commercial investment.
- Respond to business and individual inquiries about development opportunities.
- Evaluate customer service and store atmosphere.
Advancement and mobility
- Experience leads to positions as team leader or coordinator.
Hourly wage
The hourly wage is calculated by averaging wages from 2022 to 2024.- Minimum
- $23.08
- Median
- $40.66
- Maximum
- $60.44
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects for 2024-2028
Job prospects
All of Québec
All of Québec
Total jobs for 2023
All of Québec
All of Québec
Gender distribution
All of Québec
- 53.5% Female
- 46.5% Male
- 53.5% Female
- 46.5% Male
Job types
All of Québec
- Full time
- Part time
- Full time
- Part time
Yearly wage on 2020
All of Québec
All of Québec
Other characteristics
All of Québec
- None
All of Québec
- None
Sectors of activity
All of Québec
-
NAICS 9118% of jobs
-
NAICS 5416, 541710% of jobs
-
NAICS 5418, 54199% of jobs
-
NAICS 818% of jobs
-
NAICS 54156% of jobs
-
Others49% of jobs
All of Québec
-
NAICS 9118% of jobs
-
NAICS 5416, 541710% of jobs
-
NAICS 5418, 54199% of jobs
-
NAICS 818% of jobs
-
NAICS 54156% of jobs
-
Others49% of jobs
Training and requirements
Formation
Most training programs are offered in French only.
University
Business administration
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 84.1%
12.1% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 92%
3.1% of graduates pursue further studies
- HEC Montréal
- Bishop's University
- Concordia University
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université du Québec en Outaouais
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- Université Laval
- McGill University
- TÉLUQ
Business management and administration
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 93%
1.8% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 93.3%
3.5% of graduates pursue further studies
- HEC Montréal
- Bishop's University
- Concordia University
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
- Université du Québec en Outaouais
- Université du Québec à Montréal
- Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
- Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
- Université Laval
- McGill University
Economics
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 67%
26.1% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 84.2%
5.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Home economics
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 85.7%
12.2% of graduates pursue further studies
International business
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 84%
9.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 74.2%
19.7% of graduates pursue further studies
Marketing and purchasing
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 82.8%
12.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 85.7%
9.5% of graduates pursue further studies
Personnel management
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 87.7%
6.8% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 88.6%
2.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Political science
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 38.4%
55.7% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 77.4%
16.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Rural economics
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 68.8%
31.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 100%
Sociology
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 53.1%
41.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 45.2%
41.9% of graduates pursue further studies
Urban studies
Bachelor’s degree
Placement rate: 70.8%
20.8% of graduates pursue further studies
Master’s degree
Placement rate: 71.4%
14.3% of graduates pursue further studies
Sometimes required
- Authorized Economic Development Specialist (Ec.D.) certification is sometimes required.
Main skills and characteristics
Skills
- Data collection
- Information processing
- Reading comprehension
- Critical thought
- Written expression
- Active listening
- Oral expression
- Solving complex problems
- Judgment and decision-making
- Active learning
- Result evaluation
- Mathematics
- System analysis
- Systems evaluation
- Social perception
- Persuasion
- Coordination
- Time management
- Learning strategies
Abilities
- Inductive reasoning
- Written comprehension
- Oral comprehension
- Deductive reasoning
- Written expression
- Idea generation
- Verbal skills
- Information organization
- Speech clarity
- Classification
- Awareness of issues
- Near vision
- Mathematical reasoning
- Originality
- Speech recognition
- Basic numeracy
- Processing flexibility
Knowledge and attributes
- Capacity to develop and maintain business relations
- Capacity to establish and maintain interpersonal relations
- Critical thinking
- Autonomy
- Capacity to adapt
- Spoken and written bilingualism (French and English)
- Knowledge of economics and accounting
- Knowledge of sales and marketing
- Creativity
- Sense of observation
Interests
- Draft, communicate, and inform
- Work with numbers
- Work in an office
- Create, design
- Work in computer science or information and communication technologies (ICT)
- Carry out research
- Assist and advise
Personality profiles (RIASEC)
- Enterprising
- People with this profile prefer having responsibilities, influencing others and responding to challenges.
- Social
- People with this profile prefer to be in contact with others, in particular to entertain, help or teach them.
- Conventional
- People with this profile prefer specific, well-defined tasks. They like to respect the order of things and follow established rules.
Official name of the NOC 41402
Business development officers and market researchers and analysts
Job titles
- Tourism development officer
- Economic development officer
- International development and assistance researcher
- Regional industrial development officer
- Industrial development officer
- Commerce officer
- Program delivery officer - business development
- Business development officer
- Regional economic development agency officer
- Industrial development representative
- Commercial development officer - government
- Northern development officer
- Tourism development officer - government
- Aboriginal economic development officer
- Community economic development officer
- Rural development officer
- Regional development officer
- Area development officer - government
- Program officer - international development agency
- Trade promotion officer
- Economic research officer
- Marketing researcher
- Analyst - market research
- Manufacturers' association analyst
- Marketing data analyst
- Market analyst - non-financial
- Sales analyst
- Category sales analyst
- Market intelligence analyst
- Marketing analyst
- Northern development analyst
- Regional development analyst
- Commercial research analyst
- Marketing analytics analyst
- Advertising analyst
- Market research specialist
- Industrial commissioner
- Economic forecaster
- Small business counsellor
- Tourism consultant - government
- Tourism industry consultant
- Agri-food sector marketing consultant
- Community development consultant
- Mining industry development consultant
- Agriculture and food sector development consultant
- Economic development consultant
- Community economic development consultant
- Visitor interpretation services coordinator - government
- Tourism services coordinator - government
- Business issues lobbyist
- Market researcher
- Tourism industry specialist
- International marketing specialist
Skill type
Education, law and social, community and government services
Related occupations
- Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
- Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts
- Financial and investment analysts
- Government managers - economic analysis, policy development and program administration
- Other financial officers
- Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers
Last update: January 29, 2026