Two aspects of the recently announced federal program that aims to safely reopen the economy have the potential to help P.E.I. women — who are much more likely to be unemployed in the pandemic than men — to get back to work, says the provincial government. In an email to CBC News, a provincial spokesperson said the province has worked closely with Ottawa to ensure the program meets the needs of Islanders. In the months leading up to the pandemic the unemployment rate for women had been running about four percentage points lower than the rate for men. In June, the unemployment rate was 19.4 per cent for women and 11.2 per cent for men.

Source: CBC News July 24, 2020 17:48 UTC