“It’s clear that the recovery is not affecting Ontarians equally. We are seeing substantial challenges for women and minorities. Until parents have the confidence to return their kids to school the economy will not reopen,” stated Del Duca.
The Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey released today shows that South Asian, Arab, and Black Ontarians had unemployment rates significantly above Ontario’s average, and the unemployment rate is even higher for BIPOC women.
“Women from all backgrounds are returning to work at slower rates than their male counterparts, in part because they have become educators and caregivers as well as workers. We’ve known about this trend for months, but Premier Ford has ignored this group as they struggle to recover from job loss,” noted Hunter.
“While the Premier is happy to take credit for a recovery funded by the federal government, he is overlooking who is left behind. Premier Ford and his government needs to read below the headline and take action to raise the employment rate for women and BIPOC.”
“The Labour Force numbers show month after month, that while some sectors of our population are resuming normalcy, others are being left behind. Women and BIPOC Ontarians must be part our economic recovery and they deserve better from their government,” concluded Hunter.