A new survey suggests that 40% of Canadians fear losing their jobs, as many companies reduce job plans in response to Trade war with the United States.
The LEGER survey, which sampled more than 1,500 Canadian adults from March 7 to 10, suggests that more than half of Ontario workers were concerned about employment safety, the highest in the country, while a little less one in four in Atlantic Canada said.
Thirty-nine percent of the residents of British Columbia and Manitoba / Saskatchewan reported that they were worried about losing their jobs, against 35% of people in Alberta and 26% of people in Quebec.
Because the survey was carried out online, it cannot be awarded a margin of error.
The survey shows that male respondents were more concerned with unemployment than women, with 44% of worried men, compared to 36% of women. Respondents between 18 and 54 were more worried than those over 55, 42%, compared to 34%.
The tendency line on the anxiety of Canadian job losses has increased and descended in light polls since the start of the year, starting with a minimum of 36% during the week of January 26 and reaching a summit of 42% during the week of February 25.
The latest LEGER survey indicates that if 61% of respondents described the finances of their household as “good”, 46% said they lived the payroll check.
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Andrew Enns, Executive Vice-President of the Central Canada For Leger, said that the general fear of unemployment is bad for the economy because this fear brings people to delay purchases.
Enns said Ontario probably questioned the highest level of concern because the recent provincial elections involved many disastrous warnings from provincial politicians on the likely impact of Trump’s prices on employment.
Enns said that what was distinguished for him in the data is the increase in the number of people saying that they are “very” concerned about their work.
A light -winged survey conducted during the week of March 3 revealed that 39% of respondents were concerned about the loss of their employment, 11% of these people saying that they were “very” concerned.
In the last survey, 15% of respondents who said they were concerned about unemployment said they were “very” concerned about loss of their job.
Enns said that if companies carry out significant layoffs due to prices, this could appear in survey data in the coming weeks.
The new data from the Banque of Canada suggest that 40% of companies reduce their job and investment plans in response to increased uncertainty of trade.
The markets have been falling since US President Donald Trump began to set up his huge pricing program. On Wednesday, Trump administration hit all countries, including Canada, with 25% of steel and aluminum import prices in the United States.
The data from the Banque du Canada, based on investigations into businesses and consumers conducted from January 29 to February 28, 2025, have found that employment security problems are more frequent in people working in industries that rely on exports to the United States
Respondents of the Canada Bank survey were asked how they thought their professional security would be affected if trade relations between Canada and the United States had to deteriorate.
Nearly three workers out of four of the mines, oil and gas industries told the Banque du Canada survey that they were worried about their employment and three out of five who work in manufacturing. Just under half of people in finance, insurance, real estate and rental, agriculture and forestry said they were affected.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, said that she had heard workers who planned to sell their homes and “layoffs” in the country, including at Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Married.
“Although the figures have so far been fairly low in the various fields, employers have noted that they are concerned about what the future has in store for us, and that the layoffs can be in sight,” she said. “The employers themselves are also uncertain.”
Bruske said it was also disturbing that some companies, mainly in manufacturing, do not get as many orders as usual for American customers.
“People are very worried about what their reality is to work,” she said, adding that she expects to see more layoffs if the prices are continuing.
The professional survey industry, the Canadian Research Research Council, says online surveys cannot be given a margin of error because they do not sample the population.
– With Kelly Geraldine Malone files.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press