Future of work
A curated resource of recent research on trends shaping Canada's labour market.
This paper explores expectations of businesses in the retail trade sector after a year of public health measures and restrictions amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
Many Canadian retailers shut down operations, curtailing hours and customer flow, in March 2020 as a response to government-imposed measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. This contributed to changes in consumer shopping habits.
The ongoing pandemic has meant that public health measures have been repeatedly imposed and eased by provincial governments in several regions across the country, which have significantly impacted the retail sector.
Through observing expectations regarding obstacles, profitability and the ability to take on more debt, the survey results show a positive outlook, with businesses in retail trade expecting selling prices and profitability to increase in the short term while displaying an overall positive outlook in the long term.