Reimagining work? COVID-19 and the impacts on employment in Canada and the United States

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impacts on jobs and workers. This chapter explores the influence of the pandemic on employment in Canada and the United States, as well as the institutional responses in each country. We outline three emerging trends related to how COVID-19 is shaping employment in Canada and the US: the shift to remote work and with it an unexpected international experiment with homeworking;the adoption and use of technology in workplaces;and the growing importance of “essential” work or key workers. We emphasize how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, at the same time that it has resulted in the adoption of new forms of work and innovation. We argue that this necessitates a reimagining of work and requires institutional solutions that improve outcomes for workers, especially for those most marginalized and at-risk. © John R. Bryson, Lauren Andres, Aksel Ersoy and Louise Reardon 2021.

COVID-19 and rural economic development in Canada: insights on impacts, responses, and recovery. (Special Issue: COVID-19 and rural Canada: rural impacts and resilience.)

The COVID-19 global pandemic has disrupted economies around the world, and rural Canada is no exception. In this paper, the researchers explore the economic development impacts of the pandemic on rural communities across Canada. The researchers seek to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how rural communities have responded to this crisis and the extent to which they are able to build long-term rural resilience through their responses and plans for recovery. To do so, the researchers draw upon novel data derived from a survey of rural economic development practitioners from across Canada. Our findings are structured around three main themes: economic development and business impacts, economic development responses, and resources needed for recovery. The study highlights the geographic unevenness of impacts, responses, and resource needs to address the challenges introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, our research underscores the importance of capacity and context as rural economic development practitioners and other rural leaders have responded to these challenges. Finally, this research provides important insights into the tools and strategies that could build long-term rural resilience.