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A new poll suggests 40 per cent of Canadians are worried about losing their jobs as businesses scale back hiring in response to ongoing trade tensions with the United States.
The Leger poll, conducted from March 7 to 10, surveyed over 1,500 Canadian adults. It found that job insecurity concerns were highest in Ontario, where more than half of workers expressed concern. In British Columbia and Manitoba/Saskatchewan, 39 per cent of respondents reported being worried, while Alberta sat at 35 per cent. Quebec and Atlantic Canada reported the lowest concern levels, at 26 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.
The poll also shows men are more worried about job loss than women, with 44 per cent of men expressing concern compared to 36 per cent of women. Younger respondents aged 18 to 54 reported higher anxiety about unemployment than those over 55.
The Bank of Canada recently reported that 40 per cent of businesses are scaling back hiring and investment plans due to trade uncertainty. Sectors reliant on U.S. exports, such as mining, oil and gas, and manufacturing, reported the highest levels of concern.
The Canadian Labour Congress has also heard reports of layoffs in certain regions, including Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie.
Economic experts warn that growing job insecurity may cause consumers to delay major purchases, which could further slow economic growth.
The Canadian Research Insights Council notes that online polls cannot be assigned a margin of error as they do not randomly sample the population.
