The economic downturn triggered by the novel coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on workers of racialized backgrounds, newly released data from Statistics Canada has shown.
But in Statistics Canada’s lingo, “unemployed” means workers who, while jobless, are available to — and usually looking for — work. Based on data from the 2016 Census, Filipino Canadians have the second-highest proportion of workers in the accommodation and food services industry among visible minorities, with 14.2 per cent of workers employed in the industry. The sector experienced a 50 per cent decline in employment between February and April, the steepest of any industry, according to Statistics Canada.
The country has traditionally been among the world’s top recipients of remittances, with Filipinos around the world sending $46 billion in 2019. “Some Filipinos I know have to borrow some money from other sources just to be able to send money in the Philippines.”