While COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the labour market, income inequality saw a significant decrease thanks in large part to pandemic support programs — which led to a growth in household after-tax income, according to new census data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada. It’s a finding that experts say presents a strong case to implement basic income programs to support low-income households in Canada. Statistics Canada attributes the jump in household income largely to federal government transfers throughout the pandemic, despite fewer Canadians receiving employment income during that time as COVID-19 upended the labour market. About two-thirds of Canadian adults received payments from relief programs such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). The decline of income inequality from 2015 to 2020 was accompanied by a decrease in the percentage of Canadians living with low income.

Source: thestar July 14, 2022 06:42 UTC