The COVID-19 pandemic has not affected everyone equally. Our recovery response, then, should not act like it has.
As this Public Policy Forum report plainly states: “A one-size-fits-all approach to pandemic recovery will not work.”
Rather, tailoring specific programs to the specific and varied needs of specific groups and sectors will give us a stronger recovery in the months and years ahead.
Members of diverse groups, young people, women, and persons with disabilities have been disproportionately impacted by this pandemic which has only exacerbated the inequalities already present. Eddy Ng, Anjum Sultana, Kory Wilson, Simon Blanchette, and Rochelle Wijesingha lay out their case:
“We need to examine the levers — policies, programs and incentives — available to encourage employers to set targets and develop and implement effective strategies, policies and practices to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”
Likewise, industries have been differently impacted, with small and medium sized enterprises particularly hard hit and slower to show signs of recovery.
This is worrisome as 70 percent of Canadians working in the private sector are employed by small businesses, 20 percent by medium-sized businesses, and only 10 percent by large businesses.
Overall, creating alternative pathways to employment that are more focused on skills is an important step:
“Using evidence-based approaches to defining, assessing, developing and utilizing skills, and to addressing both the supply and demand sides of the equation, will all help to ensure that Canada has the workforce it needs to grow and that all members of this workforce have access to the opportunities they deserve,” the authors argue.
