Michel Cournoyer

Post-COVID Skills Mismatch – It is the time to start preparing

The pandemic has transformed working modes. With the ILO estimating that 81% of the global labor force is engaged in a work-from-home experiment, flexible and remote arrangements are likely to become the new normal. In the wake of the crisis, some 75% of global businesses plan to shift at least 5% of employees who previously … Continue reading →

COVID and the Self-Employed in UK – Have been hit particularly hard

The Covid-19 shock is one of the largest economic shocks that has taken place in living memory. The crisis has served to highlight the challenges governments face in extending social insurance to self-employed workers, for whom it is difficult to verify work behaviour. Chancellor Rishi Sunak described designing a “deliverable and fair” support package for … Continue reading →

UI Claims in US (Week ending May 16) – 2,438,000 bringing total near 39 M since the beginning of the lockdown

In the week ending May 16, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 2,438,000, a decrease of 249,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised down by 294,000 from 2,981,000 to 2,687,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,042,000, a decrease of 501,000 from the previous week’s revised average. … Continue reading →

Homeworking in UK – Around 8.7 million people said that they have worked from home

Of the 32.6 million in employment, around 1.7 million people reported working mainly from home, with around 4.0 million working from home in the week prior to being interviewed for the survey. Around 8.7 million people said that they have worked from home; this is less than 30% of the workforce. Some industrial sectors, such … Continue reading →

Bringing Jobs Back in US – 6 elements of a strategy

Despite repeated warnings, America’s industrial base has been whittled away by corporations offshoring work to Mexico, China, and other countries. The offshoring of much-needed medical equipment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic heightens the urgency to bring these supply chains home. While U,S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s recent op-ed heralding an end to “the … Continue reading →

COVID-19 and Gig Economy in Canada – Earnings were below $5,000 a year for most

A new study looks at some of the challenges in tracking the gig economy in real time and profiles the approximately 1.7 million Canadians who worked in the gig economy prior to the pandemic.About 1 in 10 Canadians in the labour force worked in the gig economy pre-COVID. About half worked to supplement their wage income, while gig work represented the … Continue reading →

Employment in US Before COVID and in April –  72 percent of adults were either “doing okay” financially, down from the 75 percent says FED

Although most adults were working as much as they wanted to, many people were not working full time and wanted more work. Many adults also performed gig activities in the month before the survey, although few who participated in the gig economy were doing so as a primary source of income. • Eighteen percent of … Continue reading →

COVID and Work – Logging in to learn, an infographic

Work and Video-conferencing – Which one should I choose?

Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams have perhaps been the most closely contending services vying for users in recent weeks. Each provider has been keeping a watchful eye on their rivals and releasing updates on what seems to have become a near-weekly basis, with the view to giving them an edge over the competition. The … Continue reading →

UI Weekly Claims in US (week ending May 9) – 2,981,000, a total of more than 36 M for the last 8 weeks

In the week ending May 9, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 2,981,000, a decrease of 195,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 7,000 from 3,169,000 to 3,176,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,616,500, a decrease of 564,000 from the previous week’s revised average. … Continue reading →

COVID, Jobs and Recovery in US – Lockdown of 3 months is going to have long-lasting negative effects on unemployment research finds

In March 2020, the US entered a “lockdown” so as to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The vast majority of residents of the United States have been ordered to stay at home. Most retail businesses have been ordered to shut down. Most workers have been ordered to stay away from their place of … Continue reading →

COVID, Stock Market and Unemployment in US – One chart shows how they are completely decoupled

One chart shows how the stock market is completely decoupled from the labor marketIn the past decade, the S&P 500 and the unemployment rate moved nearly in lockstep, but that all changed last month. Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ One chart shows how the stock market is completely decoupled from the … Continue reading →

COVID and UBI in US – Next bill could include cash payments of $2,000 per month for Americans ages 16 and older

The White House and congressional leaders are nearing a deal to pump an additional $300 billion into a new program to keep small businesses from shuttering and their employees from facing unemployment as the coronavirus pandemic  derails the economy. Even before that deal is completed, talk has turned to a larger economic recovery package that could … Continue reading →

COVID and Layoffs un US – 42 percent of recent layoffs will result in permanent job loss research finds

The COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to contain the virus are exacting a staggering economic toll in countries around the world. China’s economy shrank 6.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 on a year-on-year basis, and Eurozone economies shrank at a 14.8 percent annualized rate. In the United States, nearly 28 million persons filed new … Continue reading →

COVID and Job Report in US (April 2020) – Employment fell by 20.5 million in one month

Total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 20.5 million in April, and the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent,the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The changes in these measures reflect the effects of thecoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it. Employment fell sharply in all major industry sectors,with particularly heavy job losses in … Continue reading →