More women lost their jobs during the pandemic

During the entire epidemic year, women accounted for 53.7% of job losses year on year. (Photo: Matteo Jorjoson to Unsplash)

A new report from Statistics Canada indicates that women are systematically affected by job losses due to the pandemic.

During the entire epidemic year, from March 2020 to February 2021, women accounted for 53.7% of job losses year on year.

Statistics Canada found that in the service sector, job losses were extraordinarily high among small businesses (SMEs), and that women working in small and medium-sized businesses were affected more than their male counterparts.

The report notes that women employed in SMEs represented 23.6% of total employment prior to COVID-19, but accounted for 37.9% of the year-on-year decline in employment; For their male counterparts, these proportions were 21.9% and 23.6%, respectively.

The federal agency also adds that these differences can be attributed, among other things, to family responsibilities, “particularly in the context of the forced closures of nurseries and schools in many counties during the pandemic.”

Statistics Canada also offers another possible explanation: Government support programs, such as Canada’s emergency aid, may have altered work decisions for individuals, especially women, at the minimum wage.

“While these policies preserved the well-being of Canadian families, they helped delay the resumption of work,” the report states. Therefore, further analysis is needed to determine the long-term impact of these policies on employment. “