EMPLOYMENT RATES AMONG MALE AND FEMALE WORKERS IN ONTARIO (15+ YRS), 2006-2021 Percent 70


65


60


55


50 Males 45 Females


Source: Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0287-01 - Labour force characteristics, monthly, seasonally adjusted.


facing sectors such as accommodation and food services and community services are reeling from successive economic blows and the direct impacts of community spread. And again, women are bearing the larg-


10% 20%


CHANGE IN TOTAL ACTUAL HOURS WORKED OF ONTARIO MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN (0-12 YRS) RELATIVE TO FEBRUARY 2020, BY FAMILY STATUS


est share of these economic losses – more specifically, young women, women with disabilities, racialized women, Indigenous women and others facing employment bar- riers – all caught on the wrong side of On- tario’s halting recovery. This figure shows Ontario’s K-shaped


recovery, a pattern evident among both women and men. The level of female em- ployment in vulnerable industries in De- cember was 12 percent below February lev- els, down 10 percentage points from August, a gap that widened in January to 25 percent, snapped back in February and March, then fell in April. The upshot: low-wage workers have been treading water for months. Large numbers of Black, racialized and


Indigenous women work in these hard-hit sectors and occupations. In July 2020, the month that Statistics Canada began report- ing on the experiences of racialized groups, there was almost a 7 percent difference in


-70% -60% -50% -40% -30% -20% -10% 0%


32 ETFO VOICE | SUMMER 2021


Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 -


the national employment rate between ra- cialized and non-racialized women (57.7 percent vs. 64.4 percent) and more than an eight percentage point difference in their unemployment rate (17.4 percent vs. 9.2 percent). These gaps narrowed somewhat between July and April 2021, but they are still significants. This has been the most troubling trend of


the economic downturn. Low-wage workers and their families are on an economic roll- er coaster. At the same time high-income earners have prospered, not only continu- ing on with their jobs but also realizing the gains associated with the run-up in housing values, pension plans and invest- ment holdings and the savings associated with working from home and deferred travel and entertainment.


THE CRISIS IN CARE IS UPENDING WOMEN’S LIVES – ESPECIALLY AMONG LONE PARENTS


the huge increase in unpaid labour that has accompanied the pandemic. Employment gains since April 2020 have


lagged among mothers with kids under 12, pointing to the impact of school closures, uncertain access to child care and unequal division of labour in the home, stresses that are particularly acute for those actually working in care and education sectors. On this score, lone parents have expe-


Source: Feb 2020 - April 2021 Labour Force Survey PUMF, calculations by D. Macdonald. Excludes self-employed. Seasonally adjusted.


The other key part of this crisis for women’s economic security is what has been happen- ing on the home front. With little help forth- coming, women have stepped up to shoulder


Mother in couple family w/ child <6 Mother in couple family w/ child 6-12 Single mother family w/ child <6 Single mother family w/ child 6-12


rienced greater loss of employment and hours than parents in couple families and they are recovering more slowly. Indeed, since October, single-parent mothers with children under 6 have lost considerable ground. Looking at Ontario in April 2021, they were working 49 percent fewer hours than in February 2020, while single mothers with school-aged children (6-12 years) were working 18 percent fewer hours. These figures don’t include the propor-


tion of women who have dropped out of the labour market altogether, putting aside their own financial security to stickhandle the ongoing demands of the pandemic in- cluding the ongoing stress and uncertainty of schooling.


Jan-06 Jun-06 Nov-06 Apr-07 Sep-07 Feb-08 Jul-08 Dec-08 May-09 Oct-09 Mar-10 Aug-10 Jan-11 Jun-11 Nov-11 Apr-12 Sep-12 Feb-13 Jul-13 Dec-13 May-14 Oct-14 Mar-15 Aug-15 Jan-16 Jun-16 Nov-16 Apr-17 Sep-17 Feb-18 Jul-18 Dec-18 May-19 Oct-19 Mar-20 Aug-20 Jan-21


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