Statistics Canada Releases Data On Potential For Working From Home

Today Statistics Canada released information on how the pandemic has affected the push for people to work from home amid social distancing. The report also considers how many people may be able to continue to work from home into the future. Overall, about 40% of Canadians are in jobs that could plausibly be done from home.

The threat caused by COVID-19 forced many businesses to re-think their operating methods. To provide new insights into this important issue, this article estimates the number of jobs in Canada that can plausibly be performed from home under normal circumstances—the “telework capacity” of the economy—and compares that estimate with actual telework activity reported early into the pandemic. Then, it considers which types of jobs can be done from home, where they are located and who holds them.

Overall, it was found that approximately four in ten (38.9%) Canadian workers are in jobs that can plausibly be carried out from home By comparison, Statistics Canada’s March 2020 Perspectives Survey Series found that as many workers (39.1%) were teleworking during the last full week of March (Statistics Canada 2020). Taken together, these findings suggest the Canadian labour market responded very quickly to the onset of the pandemic by increasing its prevalence of telework to the maximum capacity.

Find the full report here:

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00026-eng.htm