Canada’s sea of employment seemed calm in December, according to data collected before the Omicron variant of COVID-19 quickly spread across Ontario and other provinces over the winter break.
There was a small overall increase in employment, Statistics Canada reported on Friday, again led by middle-aged men and growing concentrated in Ontario, which will likely serve as a watermark to compare the impact of the new but seemingly milder contagious variant at work with earlier versions of the virus.
Full-time employment increased by 123,000, maintaining an upward trend since June and nearly doubling its momentum above pre-pandemic levels, while the number of people in part-time work decreased by 68,000.
Part-time employment has been practically stable since June and is roughly at the same level as in February 2020.
Since then, Omicron has prompted the government of Prime Minister Doug Ford to impose e-learning after winter break, cancel elective surgeries, reinstate meeting size restrictions and close indoor cinemas, museums and sports facilities. Government officials speak of absenteeism rates of 20 to 30 percent.
“The rapid spread of the Omicron variant and reimposed containment measures, including the closure of high-touch service sectors in Ontario and Quebec, mean that employment is likely to drop substantially in January,” wrote Nathan Janzen, senior economist at RBC. Economics, in a note to clients about the report.
Youth and young workers make up a larger portion of the workforce in these industries, which also include wholesale and retail trade, and information, culture, and recreation.
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Despite increasing by more than 100,000 in 2021, employment in accommodation and food services remained more than 200,000 below the pre-COVID level, with little growth since September, suggesting continued hiring challenges. .
Janzen expects the blanket recall to be followed by an equally rapid recovery soon after, with short-term labor shortages even in industries where modified stage two restrictions do not force closure, but self-isolation and quarantine limit capacity. .
Evidence suggests that the latest iteration of COVID-19 is milder in most cases than the previously dominant Delta strain, although it still keeps hospital staff and a large number of sick homeworkers busy, isolated due to exposure. or no job that has been shut down.
“The rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the reimposed containment measures … mean that employment will most likely fall substantially in January,” wrote Nathan Janzen, senior economist at RBC Economics, in a note to clients on the #jobs report. .
Employment in Ontario increased for the seventh consecutive month, adding 47,000 jobs in December for a total increase of 468,000 since May. The gains were enjoyed primarily by young and middle-aged men who found work in wholesale and retail trade and manufacturing.
Job growth in the greater Toronto area was flat for the month, but increased 10 percent from May.
The national unemployment rate fell in December for men in each of the three main age groups: 15 to 24 (-1.1 percentage points to 11.9 percent); 25 to 54 (-0.5 percentage points to 4.6 percent); and over 55 years (-0.4 percentage points to 6.3 percent).
Among women, the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 increased 1.7 percentage points to 9.6 percent, while in the other age groups it barely changed.
The information, culture and recreation industry saw a notable job recovery in 2021, but it occurred primarily in the late summer and early fall, returning to its pre-pandemic level in September.
Morgan Sharp / Local Journalism Initiative / National Observer of Canada
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com