Working Through COVID-19
Workforce Impacts
August 17, 2020
From family obligations to remote work we’ve surveyed COVID-19’s effects on Canadian employers and workers but how is the pandemic changing the ebbs flows and makeup of the workforce.
Signal49 Research asked organizations across the country about how covid19 is affecting their turnover attraction and retention rates and the strategies they’ve put in place to manage
Here’s what we found.
Note: Survey responses were collected from July 20–28, 2020. These findings are part of a Signal49 Research series on work and pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stay tuned for updates as this situation evolves.
In this study, we define voluntary turnover as turnover due to an employee-initiated departure. We define involuntary turnover as turnover due to an employer-initiated departure (e.g., severances, dismissals, redundancies). Involuntary turnover does not include temporary layoffs.
Employees are choosing to stay put
Q: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the following rates have:
(n = 124; percentage of organizations)
Notes: Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source: Signal49 Research.
Seeking stability and a return to how it was
Over one-third of organizations (35 per cent) reported not implementing any of the strategies or approaches we asked about. (See chart below.)
For those that did put some of the strategies in place, hiring freezes were the most common. This aligns with what we are hearing from employers. Many have indicated that a top concern right now is returning to prior business levels and financial stability.
Hiring has slowed
Q: Which of the following strategies or approaches has your organization taken as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?
(n = 132; percentage of organizations)
Notes: Total is greater than 100 as respondents could select more than one option.
Source: Signal49 Research.
What about having the right talent in place?
More than half of responding organizations are not having difficulty attracting, recruiting, or retaining talent. This is not surprising, given the amount of hiring freezes and workforce reductions in place across the country.
Few are struggling to retain talent
Q: Is your organization having difficulty attracting/recruiting or retaining talent with particular skills?
(n = 135; percentage of organizations)
Notes: Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding.
Source: Signal49 Research.
Get an inside look at our respondent profile.