An estimated 25% of working Canadians have started over in jobs unrelated to what they did before pandemic

When COVID-19 hit, Ryan Sullivan was a pilot for Porter Airlines and he loved his job. These days, though, he spends his days and many evenings leading online wine-tasting classes as a certified sommelier.

“I assure you, flying a plane I think is easier,” Sullivan said.

“The hardest thing I think I’ve done with my life, like top-five for sure, has been pivoting my side passion project into a primary livable source of income. It has been an incredibly steep learning curve.”

Statistics Canada says 3.1 million Canadians were affected by job losses or reduced hours in March alone last year when the pandemic restrictions began. In its monthly jobs report released Friday, StatsCan said there were 599,000 fewer people employed and 406,000 more people working less than half their usual hours in February this year compared to 12 months earlier.

Close to 400,000 jobs have been lost in Ontario alone over the past year, according to a recent report — many in the travel and service industries — and up to half of Canadians have seen their jobs affected in some way.

Like Sullivan, an estimated 25 per cent of working people in Canada have started over in jobs completely unrelated to what they did before COVID-19 changed everything.

Read the full article at:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/career-job-changes-pandemic-1.5935256