The pandemic is hitting lower-wage jobs the hardest. The January report, written by CIBC deputy chief economist Benjamin Tal, used Statistics Canada data on the pandemic's impact on below-average wages. The jobs lost in January were entirely part-time and particularly hit the retail sectors in Ontario and Quebec, which both locked down to combat the spread of the virus. The pandemic is "a service-oriented crisis and that sector is populated by low-paying jobs," Tal said. The work McKay and his colleagues do has also been impacted by the pandemic, particularly when connecting remotely with some of their clients.

Source: CBC News February 23, 2021 09:00 UTC