The economic lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19 has led to steep declines in employment and hours worked for many Canadians. For workers in essential services, in jobs that can be done with proper physical distancing measures or in jobs that can be done from home, the likelihood of experiencing a work interruption during the pandemic is lower than for other workers. Statistics Canada has released a new article assessesing how the feasibility of working from home varies across Canadian families. It also considers the implications of these differences for family earnings inequality.

Approximately 40% of Canadians are in jobs that can be done from home (Deng et al. 2020) and the likelihood of holding such a job is not the same for all Canadians. For example, fewer workers in goods-producing sectors can work from home than those in service industries (Deng et al. 2020). These differences in the feasibility of working from home are important during the pandemic because holding jobs that can be done from home reduces the likelihood of work interruptions and, thus, reduces income uncertainty. After the pandemic, holding such jobs might increase the options that Canadian families face regarding work-life balance.

Key findings include:

• Dual-earner families with higher earnings are more likely than lower-income families to hold jobs that can be done from home
• Primary earners with high levels of education are more likely to hold jobs that can be done from home
• Women are more likely than men to hold jobs that can be done from home