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Short-Term Effect of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Workers in Canada

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  • Louis-Philippe Beland
  • Oluwatobi Fakorede
  • Derek Mikola

Abstract

Using the Canadian Labour Force Survey, we document the short-term impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on self-employed individuals in Canada, whom we interpret as small business owners. We document an important decrease in business ownership between February 2020 and May 2020 (-14.8 percent for incorporated and -10.1 percent for unincorporated entities). We find a substantial decrease in ownership and aggregate hours for women, immigrants, and less educated people over the same period. The occupational categories with the largest decrease are in art, culture, and recreation (-14.8 percent); in education, law, and social, community, and government services (-13.6 percent); and in sales and service occupations (-12.8 percent).

Suggested Citation

  • Louis-Philippe Beland & Oluwatobi Fakorede & Derek Mikola, 2020. "Short-Term Effect of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Workers in Canada," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 46(S1), pages 66-81, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:46:y:2020:i:s1:p:s66-s81
    DOI: 10.3138/cpp.2020-076
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    Cited by:

    1. Block, Joern & Kritikos, Alexander S. & Priem, Maximilian & Stiel, Caroline, 2022. "Emergency-aid for self-employed in the Covid-19 pandemic: A flash in the pan?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. Kourtney Koebel & Dionne Pohler, 2020. "Labor Markets in Crisis: The Double Liability of Low‐Wage Work During COVID‐19," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 503-531, October.
    3. Charlene Marie Kalenkoski & Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia, 2022. "Impacts of COVID-19 on the self-employed," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 741-768, February.
    4. Ahn, Kunwon & Lee, Jun Yeong & Winters, John V., 2020. "Employment Opportunities and High School Completion during the COVID-19 Recession," IZA Discussion Papers 13802, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Louis-Philippe Beland & Abel Brodeur & Taylor Wright, 2020. "COVID-19, Stay-at-Home Orders and Employment: Evidence from CPS Data," Carleton Economic Papers 20-04, Carleton University, Department of Economics, revised 19 May 2020.
    6. Daniel Graeber & Alexander S. Kritikos & Johannes Seebauer, 2021. "COVID-19: a crisis of the female self-employed," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(4), pages 1141-1187, October.
    7. Fairlie, Robert, 2020. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: The First Three Months after Social-Distancing Restrictions," MPRA Paper 113127, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Pham Quoc Thuan & Nguyen Vinh Khuong & Nguyen Duong Cam Anh & Nguyen Thi Xuan Hanh & Vo Huynh Anh Thi & Tieu Ngoc Bao Tram & Chu Gia Han, 2022. "The Determinants of the Usage of Accounting Information Systems toward Operational Efficiency in Industrial Revolution 4.0: Evidence from an Emerging Economy," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Brochu, Pierre & Créchet, Jonathan & Deng, Zechuan, 2020. "Labour market flows and worker trajectories in Canada during COVID-19," CLEF Working Paper Series 32, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    10. Iuliana COMAN, 2022. "Solutions for Relaunching Art Consumption After COVID-19 - From the Perspective of Consumers with Higher Education," Database Systems Journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 13(1), pages 35-46.
    11. Robert Fairlie, 2020. "The impact of COVID‐19 on small business owners: Evidence from the first three months after widespread social‐distancing restrictions," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 727-740, October.
    12. Mona Farouk Ali, 2022. "Between panic and motivation: did the first wave of COVID-19 affect scientific publishing in Mediterranean countries?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3083-3115, June.
    13. Yahong Zhang, 2022. "Unemployment Benefits and Wage Subsidies -- Effects of Labour Market Policies during a Pandemic," Working Papers 2203, University of Windsor, Department of Economics, revised Sep 2022.
    14. Giovanni Gallo & Michele Raitano, 2020. "SOS incomes: Simulated effects of COVID-19 and emergency benefits on individual and household income distribution in Italy," Working Papers 566, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    15. Thapa, Manish, 2020. "Coping with COVID impact on self-employment: Do gender and academic education matters?," MPRA Paper 105062, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Nicola Raimo & Pedro-José Martínez-Córdoba & Bernardino Benito & Filippo Vitolla, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Labor Market: An Analysis of Supply and Demand in the Spanish Municipalities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-12, November.
    17. Thapa, Manish, 2020. "Coping with COVID impact on self-employment: Do gender and academic education matters?," MPRA Paper 105050, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Pierre Brochu & Jonathan Créchet, 2021. "Survey Non-response in Covid-19 Times: The Case of the Labour Force Survey," Working Papers 2109E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    19. Olivier Torrès & Alexandre Benzari & Christian Fisch & Jinia Mukerjee & Abdelaziz Swalhi & Roy Thurik, 2022. "Risk of burnout in French entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 crisis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 717-739, February.
    20. Andreas Kuckertz & Leif Brändle, 2022. "Creative reconstruction: a structured literature review of the early empirical research on the COVID-19 crisis and entrepreneurship," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 72(2), pages 281-307, June.
    21. Louis-Philippe Beland & Abel Brodeur & Derek Mikola & Taylor Wright, 2020. "COVID-19, Occupation Tasks and Mental Health in Canada," Carleton Economic Papers 20-07, Carleton University, Department of Economics, revised 30 Jun 2020.
    22. Luca Bonacini & Giovanni Gallo & Sergio Scicchitano, 2021. "Working from home and income inequality: risks of a ‘new normal’ with COVID-19," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(1), pages 303-360, January.
    23. Robert Amano & Marc-André Gosselin & Kurt See, 2021. "Exploring the potential benefits of inflation overshooting," Staff Analytical Notes 2021-16, Bank of Canada.
    24. John Baker & Kourtney Koebel & Lindsay Tedds, 2021. "Gender Disparities in the Labour Market? Examining the COVID-19 Pandemic in Alberta," SPP Research Papers, The School of Public Policy, University of Calgary, vol. 14(18), June.
    25. Minyahil Assefa, 2023. "COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions and Small Business Survival Strategy: Government Supporting Schemes," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 11(2), pages 227-245, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; employment; entrepreneurship; hours worked; labour force; self-employed workers;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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