The world of work experienced unprecedented upheavals in March due to measures imposed by the federal and provincial governments to limit the spread of COVID-19. Here is an overview of the employment situation in the country.
Massive job losses
This is now a cliché: the situation is changing rapidly – and the statement also applies to the world of employment. It is difficult to assess the overall number of layoffs and dismissals in the country during the month of March. The transport, catering, tourism, retail, culture and entertainment sectors are particularly affected.
However, a number gives an indication of the extent of job losses: the Government of Canada indicated that it had received 929,000 applications for employment insurance in just one week! Never seen.
SOURCE:
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1683632/coronavirus-chomeurs-canada
The Globe And Mail Reports Sources Within The Canada Revenue Agency Expect To Receive Four Million Applications For Canadian Emergency Benefits, Providing Insight Into The Number Of Canadians who may experience loss of income due to the pandemic (this number includes not only employees, but also the self-employed, who are also eligible for this form of financial support).
SOURCE:
HIRINGS
While several sectors of the economy are severely affected by the temporary closings and the slowdown or even the cessation of their activities, others must hire new workers to meet a sudden growth in demand.
This is the case for large food chains, including Loblaw (which is currently seeking to fill nearly 1,000 positions in its various banners in Quebec), IGA and Metro. Walmart also announced in a press release issued on March 19 that it will seek to recruit 10,000 more “associates” across Canada.
SOURCES:
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/03/21/les-grandes-chaines-en-mode-embauche
https://www.walmartcanada.ca/news/2020/03/19/walmart-canada-memo
The delivery sector – food in particular – has also seen increased activity since the start of the health crisis, which has resulted in 200 new positions at CookIt and a hundred more at GoodFood, two meal delivery services. ready to cook. ” Restaurants offering delivery also need labor additional: the Domino’s Pizza® chain, for example, announced in a press release that it is looking for many employees for full-time and part-time positions in kitchen, delivery and management.
SOURCES:
https://www.grenier.qc.ca/nouvelles/20533/cook-it-souhaite-embaucher-200-ressources
Other sectors are also calling on backup workers, including the production of medical equipment and health care as well as information technology, in particular services linked to the massive deployment of telework and telehealth. For example, the Montreal-based company Dialogue has created 250 positions for health and social services professionals to meet the increased demand for its telehealth services.
SOURCES