Interns should be paid for their work and no longer be considered “cheap” workers, IRIS argues in a new study on the cost of this compensation in Quebec.
“Since the entire Quebec society benefits from this work, it is justified to systematically pay for internships,” explained Milène Lokrou, researcher and co-author of the study presented on Thursday.
IRIS data shows that 84% of students in Quebec did not receive full compensation for work performed during an internship. Those paid in the form of a subsidy would not have received the equivalent of the provincial minimum wage.
$388 million to pay them
For IRIS, the assumption that interns should not be paid because they have no experience and are the only ones who benefit from their work is wrong.
“Because his internship isn’t paid [la personne stagiaire] are dependent on paid employment to be able to meet their needs. For many, the internship therefore becomes a vector of precarity, vulnerability and indebtedness,” one can also read.
The study estimates that many private companies receive a refundable tax credit for workplace internships each year, “a tax break that will cost the state of Quebec almost $69.6 million in 2023.”
IRIS fears that non-payment for internships could lead companies to replace some of their employees with interns in order to reduce their salary costs.
IRIS estimates that compensation for student internships would cost the Quebec government between $388 million and $501.5 million.