Concern about pandemic up considerably from March
Nearly half (49 per cent) of Canadian workers say COVID-19 has affected their employment, and half of them have lost their job temporarily (40 per cent) or permanently (11 per cent) because of the pandemic, according to a survey.
Another 18 per cent say that their hours have been reduced and four per cent had their hours increased, found Forum Research’s survey of 1,335 Canadians on April 13.
On the mental health front, more than eight in 10 (85 per cent) say they're concerned about COVID-19, with half (52 per cent) saying they're very concerned. This is up considerably from the beginning of March, where 62 per cent were concerned and a quarter were very concerned.
“Concern about COVID-19 has increased considerably since the beginning of March, rising correspondingly to the escalating measures enacted to contain the spread of the virus," says Lorne Bozinoff, president of Forum Research.
Among homeowners, six per cent say they have missed a mortgage payment recently due in part or in full to the COVID-19, found the survey. Meanwhile, 14 per cent of renters say they have missed a rent payment recently because of COVID-19, and 80 per cent of them say they will miss another before the pandemic ends.
A separate survey earlier this month found that 57 per cent of respondents say their household income has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Another study suggests that 29 per cent of workers will be comfortable to return to work when there are no new cases for at least two weeks, and 25 per cent when there are only sporadic cases being discovered and there are no pressures on the health-care system.
