Family Responsibilities Survey
Clothing and department stores account for 17 per cent of total retail sales, which has remained constant over time.
After four years of contraction, employment rebounded in the first two quarters of 2019.
Both British Columbia and Ontario have seen relatively constant growth since 2010.
Quebec’s share of clothing and department store retail has been sliding since 2010, likely due to the province’s population aging more rapidly than the Canadian average.
Large retailers continue to close stores, with Gap, Home Outfitters (Hudson’s Bay), and J.Crew all expected to close locations in Canada in 2019.
Fast-fashion giant Forever 21 will shutter all 44 of its Canadian locations by the end of the year.
The industry has been challenging for both very small and very large players, with significant declines in the number of businesses with fewer than 10 employees and more than 100 employees since 2015. By contrast, there are now 1,000 additional Canadian clothing and retail stores with 10 to 19 employees.
The median annual income for sales representatives is $17,800, while for cashiers it is $9,900. Together, they represent half of the industry’s workforce.
Since the industry relies on low-wage workers, recent minimum wage increases in Ontario and Alberta have put upward pressure on operating costs. Ontario’s retail trade employees saw a
5.2 per cent increase in wages between December 2017 and April 2018
GDP growth is expected to be weak, averaging just under 2 per cent from 2020 to 2024. This is due to larger economic trends that affect Canadians’ wealth—higher debt levels, rising interest rates, and weaker home prices.
Employment will enjoy a strong boost this year, growing 8.5 per cent in 2019. However, this will be short-lived. A 2.1 per cent decline is in the cards for 2020, and little to no growth is expected between 2021 and 2024.
As COVID-19 continues to shift the daily rhythms of Canadian households, millions of Canadians are feeling the pinch to balance competing demands of work and family. What are their employers doing to help?
The Conference Board has asked organizations across Canada how they’re accommodating employees with family responsibilities.
How are organizations accommodating employees who need some flexibility?
Note: Survey responses were collected on Monday, April 6, 2020. These findings are part of a Conference Board series on work and pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for updates as this situation evolves.
Working Through COVID-19
Most organizations have employees impacted by family responsibilities
Q: Are you aware of any employees who can't work their regular work schedule due to family responsibilities?
No
Yes
15%
86%
Have reduced work schedules
Have issued termination notices/pay-in-lieu
Have issued temporary layoffs
(n = 283; percentage of organizations)
Note: Totals do not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source: The Conference Board of Canada.
Working less
Can't work
Same pay, fewer hours
Q: For employees who remain employed but can’t work full hours due to family responsibilities, how is your organization compensating them for the hours they cannot work?
(n = 150; percentage of organizations)
(n = 96; percentage of organizations)
No clear approach for sidelined workers' pay
Q: For employees who remain employed but can’t work at all due to family responsibilities, what kind of compensation is your organization providing?
74%
56%
13%
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In this study, we define family responsibilities as:
caring for children, elderly parents, disabled family members, sick family members, or other dependent family members of any age.
With school and daycare closures in effect across the country, many support services are now unavailable. Families are being told to stay put, and daily routines
no longer apply.
Want more info? Explore our remote work and pay premiums survey findings–part of our ongoing Working Through COVID-19 series.
Have employees able to work regular hours with accomodations
Have employees unable
to work full hours
Have employees unable to work at all
New realities mean new accommodations
(n = 185; percentage of organizations)
Note: Total is greater than 100 as respondents could select more than one option.
Source: The Conference Board of Canada.
Flex time
Flex time around core hours
Reduced hours
Compressed work weeks
Split shifts
Job-sharing
No accommodations
Q: For employees who cannot work their regular working hours due to caregiving needs, what accommodations has your organization provided?
When flexibility
isn’t enough…
It’s hard to predict how things will change in the coming weeks and months—and how it will affect employees’ efforts to manage the pressures of both family and work.
Looking long-term, organizations may need to adjust. Most have already begun.
Q: Are you developing a long-term plan for employees
struggling to balance work demands and family responsibilities?
Source: The Conference Board of Canada.
(n = 283; percentage of organizations)
Three out of four organizations are thinking ahead
Have developed a long-term plan
Currently developing a long-term plan
Considering developing a long-term plan
No plan and not considering
Here’s what we found.
83%
56%
55%
34%
28%
11%
1%
50%
16%
13%
9%
9%
3%
30%
23%
14%
14%
12%
7%
1%
22%
12%
31%
35%
79%
65%
41%
Note: Total is greater than 100 as respondents could select more than one option.
Source: The Conference Board of Canada.
Note: Totals do not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source: The Conference Board of Canada.