Reimagining work? COVID-19 and the impacts on employment in Canada and the United States

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had widespread impacts on jobs and workers. This chapter explores the influence of the pandemic on employment in Canada and the United States, as well as the institutional responses in each country. We outline three emerging trends related to how COVID-19 is shaping employment in Canada and the US: the shift to remote work and with it an unexpected international experiment with homeworking; the adoption and use of technology in workplaces; and the growing importance of “essential” work or key workers. We emphasize how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing inequalities and vulnerabilities, at the same time that it has resulted in the adoption of new forms of work and innovation. We argue that this necessitates a reimagining of work and requires institutional solutions that improve outcomes for workers, especially for those most marginalized and at-risk.