More women have recently entered the Canadian workforce, helping to offset labour shortages, and one reason could be Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government’s programme to reduce child-care costs, according to the Bank of Canada on Wednesday.
Because of an ageing population and the interruption of immigration flows in 2020, annual labour force growth has slowed to around 0.9% from 1.4% in 2017-2019, according to the central bank.
‘The recent rise in participation of prime-age Canadians, particularly women, has somewhat offset the effect of ageing,’ it said, noting that the participation rate for prime-age women was at a near record high of 84.9%, with the increase being particularly noticeable for women with young children.
This could be due in part to a multibillion-dollar programme launched by the federal Liberal government last year to reduce child care costs and encourage more women to work, according to the report.
Post Your Comments