Waiting for Recovery: The Canadian Labour Market in June 2020

31 Pages Posted: 9 Jul 2020 Last revised: 20 Jul 2020

See all articles by Stephen Robert Glenville Jones

Stephen Robert Glenville Jones

McMaster Economics

Fabian Lange

McGill University

W. Craig Riddell

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Economics

Casey Warman

Dalhousie University

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Date Written: July 2, 2020

Abstract

The Canadian labour market is currently emerging from a holding pattern with unusually high numbers in temporary (or “recall”) unemployment, those “employed but absent from work” for unspecified reasons, or not in the labour force while waiting to be recalled. Two encouraging signs are evident. New postings of vacancies have recovered from 50 percent to about 80 percent of their pre-crisis level. Also, data suggest that the increase in employment in May 2020 is due to some of those waiting to be recalled re-entering employment. These patterns suggest that the labour market might rebound quickly. Warning signs are that the shares of the unemployed without job attachment as well as those on recall engaged in job search are beginning to increase.

Keywords: COVID-19, Vacancies, Unemployment, Employment

JEL Classification: J21, J22, J23, J63

Suggested Citation

Jones, Stephen Robert Glenville and Lange, Fabian and Riddell, W. Craig and Warman, Casey, Waiting for Recovery: The Canadian Labour Market in June 2020 (July 2, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3645398 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3645398

Stephen Robert Glenville Jones (Contact Author)

McMaster Economics ( email )

1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4
Canada

Fabian Lange

McGill University ( email )

1001 Sherbrooke St. W
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G5
Canada

W. Craig Riddell

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Department of Economics ( email )

997-1873 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Canada
604-822-2106 (Phone)

Casey Warman

Dalhousie University ( email )

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada

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