91福利

This report fills an important information gap by examining how many Canadians missed work or school due to COVID-19 in the 12 months prior to March 2023, and how long their absences were. The findings confirm that in the pandemic鈥檚 third year, a significant number of Canadians 鈥� almost one in two 鈥� continued to be directly affected by the disease, either because they had been sick, were caring for someone who was sick, or were dealing with the symptoms associated with 鈥渓ong COVID.鈥� These experiences imposed significant costs on the individuals affected, on their employers and on the economy in general.

The fifth wave of the Survey on Employment and Skills, conducted in March 2023, found that 45 percent of adult Canadians in the labour force or in education had missed at least one day of work or school in the previous 12 months because they or someone they were caring for were ill with COVID-19. This includes 31 percent who were sick with COVID-19, 15 percent who were caring for someone else who was sick with COVID-19, and 10 percent who had previously been sick with COVID-19, and were suffering from lingering effects of the disease, such as fatigue (an experience generally referred to as 鈥渓ong COVID鈥�).

The proportion that missed at least one day of work or school in the 12 months up to March 2023 because of these experiences varies in a number of ways. This proportion is higher among younger adults and decreases with age. It is also higher among women compared to men; among those with children at home compared to those without; among those with a disability that at least occasionally limits their daily activity compared to those without a disability; among Indigenous Peoples compared to non-Indigenous peoples; among those employed in either the public or non-profit sectors compared to those employed in the private sector; and among those who are members of a labour union compared to those who are not.

A plurality of those who missed at least one day of work or school missed between one and five days. However, more than one in three missed between six and 10 days, and one in five missed 11 days or more. When expressed as a percentage of the total population 鈥� and not just of those who reported one of the three COVID-related experiences mentioned in the survey 鈥� one in four of adult Canadians in the labour market or in education missed more than one week of work or school in the 12 months up to March 2023 because they or someone they cared for was sick with COVID-19.

Among those with long COVID, two in five reported missing more than two weeks of work or school for that reason during the 12 months up to the time of the survey in March 2023 (this group corresponds to four percent of the total adult population in the labour force or in education).

The likelihood of missing more than a week of work or school declines with age: it is highest among those aged 18 to 24 and lowest among those aged 55 and older. Those with children at home are also more likely than those without to have missed more than a week of work or school. The same is true of those who are racialized compared to those who are white, those who are Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous peoples, and those who have a disability compared to those who do not.

Finally, Canadians who missed one or more days of work or school because they were sick with COVID-19, because they were caring for someone who had COVID, or because they had long COVID, report poorer health and well-being than those who did not have these experiences. For instance, compared to those who did not report any of the three COVID-related experiences in the 12 months up to March 2023, those who missed work or school to care for someone who was sick with COVID-19 are much more likely to have had trouble sleeping or to have felt anxious, depressed, or lonely. Similarly, those experiencing long COVID are much more likely to report poor mental health, as well as feelings of anxiety or depression, or trouble sleeping.

While highlighting the pandemic鈥檚 general impact through 2022 and the beginning of 2023, the survey findings also underline a number of more specific points. First, while older Canadians were more susceptible to serious illness, younger adults at this later stage of the pandemic were more likely to miss work or school due to COVID-19. This no doubt has had a negative effect on their education, earnings and advancement at work. Second, certain groups have been more affected by the need to care for others who are sick with COVID-19. This includes parents, as well as both Indigenous Peoples and racialized Canadians. Finally, the survey corroborates other evidence about the prevalence of long COVID. 91福利 one in ten adults in the labour force or in education in Canada are experiencing the lingering effects of previous bouts with COVID-19, to the extent that they are still having to miss days of work or school.

Ce rapport r茅pond 脿 un manque d鈥檌nformation important en examinant le nombre de personnes au Canada qui se sont absent茅es du travail ou de l鈥櫭ヽole en raison de la COVID-19 au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dant mars 2023, ainsi que la dur茅e de ces absences. Les constatations confirment qu鈥檃u cours de la troisi猫me ann茅e de la pand茅mie, un nombre important de personnes - au Canada : pr猫s d鈥檜ne sur deux - ont continu茅 脿 锚tre directement touch茅es par la maladie, soit parce qu鈥檈lles avaient 茅t茅 malades, soit parce qu鈥檈lles s鈥檕ccupaient d鈥檜ne personne malade, soit parce qu鈥檈lles 茅taient confront茅es aux sympt么mes associ茅s 脿 la 芦COVID de longue dur茅e禄. Ces exp茅riences ont entra卯n茅 des co没ts importants pour les personnes concern茅es, leurs employeurs et l鈥櫭ヽonomie en g茅n茅ral.

La cinqui猫me vague de l鈥檈nqu锚te sur l鈥檈mploi et les comp茅tences, men茅e en mars 2023, a r茅v茅l茅 que 45 % des adultes canadiens faisant partie de la population active ou poursuivant des 茅tudes avaient manqu茅 au moins un jour de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dents parce qu鈥檈ux-m锚mes ou une personne dont ils s鈥檕ccupaient 茅taient malades 脿 cause de la COVID-19. Parmi eux, 31 % 茅taient malades de la maladie COVID-19, 15 % s鈥檕ccupaient d鈥檜ne personne malade de la maladie COVID-19 et 10 % avaient d茅j脿 茅t茅 malades de la maladie COVID-19 et subissaient les effets persistants de la maladie, comme la fatigue (une exp茅rience g茅n茅ralement appel茅e 芦COVID de longue dur茅e禄).

La proportion de personnes ayant manqu茅 au moins un jour de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dant mars 2023 en raison de ces exp茅riences varie de plusieurs mani猫res. Cette proportion est plus 茅lev茅e chez les jeunes adultes et diminue avec l鈥櫭�ge. Il est 茅galement plus 茅lev茅 chez les femmes que chez les hommes, chez ceux qui ont des enfants 脿 la maison que chez ceux qui n鈥檈n ont pas, chez ceux qui ont une invalidit茅 qui limite au moins occasionnellement leurs activit茅s quotidiennes que chez ceux qui n鈥檕nt pas d鈥檌nvalidit茅, chez les autochtones que chez les non-autochtones, chez ceux qui travaillent dans le secteur public ou dans le secteur non marchand que chez ceux qui travaillent dans le secteur priv茅, et chez ceux qui sont membres d鈥檜n syndicat que chez ceux qui n鈥檈n sont pas membres.

Une majorit茅 de ceux qui ont manqu茅 au moins un jour de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole a manqu茅 entre un et cinq jours. Cependant, plus d鈥檜ne personne sur trois a manqu茅 entre six et dix jours, et une personne sur cinq a manqu茅 onze jours ou plus. Exprim茅 en pourcentage de la population totale - et pas seulement de ceux qui ont signal茅 l鈥檜ne des trois exp茅riences li茅es 脿 la COVID mentionn茅es dans l鈥檈nqu锚te - un adulte canadien sur quatre sur le march茅 du travail ou dans les 茅tudes a manqu茅 plus d鈥檜ne semaine de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dant mars 2023 parce qu鈥檌l 茅tait malade de la COVID-19 ou qu鈥檜ne personne dont il s鈥檕ccupait l鈥櫭﹖ait.

Parmi les personnes ayant des sympt么mes de COVID de longue dur茅e, deux sur cinq ont d茅clar茅 avoir manqu茅 plus de deux semaines de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole pour cette raison au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dant le moment de l鈥檈nqu锚te en mars 2023 (ce groupe correspond 脿 quatre pour cent de la population adulte totale dans la population active ou dans l鈥櫭ヾucation).

La probabilit茅 de manquer plus d鈥檜ne semaine de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole diminue avec l鈥櫭�ge : elle est la plus 茅lev茅e chez les personnes 芒g茅es de 18 脿 24 ans et la plus faible chez les personnes 芒g茅es de 55 ans et plus. Les personnes ayant des enfants 脿 la maison sont 茅galement plus susceptibles que les autres d鈥檃voir manqu茅 plus d鈥檜ne semaine de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole. Il en va de m锚me pour les personnes racialis茅es par rapport aux personnes blanches, pour les autochtones par rapport aux non-autochtones et pour les personnes handicap茅es par rapport 脿 celles qui ne le sont pas.

Enfin, les personnes au Canada qui ont manqu茅 un ou plusieurs jours de travail ou d鈥櫭ヽole parce qu鈥檈lles 茅taient malades de la COVID-19, parce qu鈥檈lles s鈥檕ccupaient d鈥檜ne personne atteinte de la COVID ou parce qu鈥檈lles avaient contract茅 la COVID de longue dur茅e, font 茅tat d鈥檜ne sant茅 et d鈥檜n bien-锚tre moins bons que celles qui n鈥檕nt pas v茅cu ces exp茅riences. Par exemple, par rapport aux personnes qui n鈥檕nt d茅clar茅 aucune des trois exp茅riences reli茅es 脿 la COVID au cours des 12 mois pr茅c茅dant mars 2023, celles qui se sont absent茅es du travail ou de l鈥櫭ヽole pour s鈥檕ccuper d鈥檜ne personne malade de la COVID-19 sont beaucoup plus susceptibles d鈥檃voir eu des troubles du sommeil ou de s鈥櫭猼re senties anxieuses, d茅prim茅es ou seules. De m锚me, les personnes qui subissent les effets de la COVID de longue dur茅e sont beaucoup plus susceptibles de faire 茅tat d鈥檜ne sant茅 mentale pr茅caire, d鈥檜n sentiment d鈥檃nxi茅t茅 ou de d茅pression, ou de troubles du sommeil.

Tout en soulignant l鈥檌mpact g茅n茅ral de la pand茅mie jusqu鈥檈n 2022 et au d茅but de 2023, les r茅sultats de l鈥檈nqu锚te mettent 茅galement en 茅vidence un certain nombre de points plus pr茅cis. Tout d鈥檃bord, alors que les Canadiens plus 芒g茅s 茅taient plus susceptibles de contracter une maladie grave, les jeunes adultes, 脿 ce stade avanc茅 de la pand茅mie, 茅taient plus susceptibles de s鈥檃bsenter du travail ou de l鈥櫭ヽole en raison de la COVID-19. Cela a sans aucun doute eu un effet n茅gatif sur leur 茅ducation, leurs revenus et leur avancement au travail. Deuxi猫mement, certains groupes ont 茅t茅 plus touch茅s par la n茅cessit茅 de soigner d鈥檃utres personnes malades de la COVID-19. Cela inclut les parents, ainsi que les peuples autochtones et les personnes racialis茅es au Canada. Enfin, l鈥檈nqu锚te corrobore d鈥檃utres 茅l茅ments concernant la pr茅valence de la COVID de longue dur茅e. Au Canada, environ un adulte sur dix faisant partie de la population active ou du syst猫me 茅ducatif subit les effets persistants d鈥櫭﹑isodes ant茅rieurs de la COVID-19, au point de devoir encore s鈥檃bsenter du travail ou de l鈥櫭ヽole pendant plusieurs jours.

December 2023