Posted on Tuesday, October 13 2020
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic immediately altered when, where, and how we work, and more changes are yet to come. As public health officials have come to understand more about the novel coronavirus, it’s become increasingly clear that our offices, our most common commute strategies, and even our elevator rides can contribute to the spread of this deadly disease.
The typical workday is already radically different than it was in February: The percentage of employees in the US working remotely full-time rocketed from just 5.2% before the pandemic to roughly 50% percent at its peak in May. In Canada where under 10% had previously been working from home it is anticipated those numbers are now above 40% and anticipated to rise as the freelance community continues to grow.
While some are returning to the office, while many more are being granted the opportunity to continue working remotely for the foreseeable future, and in in many cases, permanently.
Several organizations are also adapting their policies to enable employees to work remotely from anywhere in the world, where rules previously dictated that they reside in the same country - and in some cases the same state or province.
Digital nomads - often millennials, engaged in mobile-friendly jobs such as e-commerce, copywriting and design - have been working remotely for the last decade, where Canada has been a hot spot for the transient community. With the long-awaited demise of the 9-to-5, maybe it’s time for us to get to know our inner nomads.
Canada ranks amongst the safest in the world for Covid-19. A recent report by Deep Knowledge Group assessing the safety of 200 countries and regions around the world when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, ranked Canada as the 12th safest country in the world, describing Canada as an “exceptional outlier” in North America in its response to the pandemic, and the only country in the Americas to rank in the top 20. The United States came in at #58.
From BC’s mountains, to PEI’s coastal views, to Montreal’s historic buildings, there’s no shortage of places to visit and natural wonders to enjoy from coast to coast. And while Canada may not exactly be known for its warm weather beaches, the summer’s do actually get steamy and there’s over 200,000 kilometres of beautiful coastal scenery to enjoy when it does.
The need for tech professionals continues to boom. Government support and investment in Canada’s tech industry is strong, with grants and other tools available to help Canadian startups, where Canada is rapidly becoming a destination of choice for employers seeking skilled tech talent. Toronto gets a lot of attention for its plentiful tech talent (Shopify, Salesforce and Facebook have offices), but it’s far from alone. Montreal quietly established itself as an epicentre for innovation in AI and game development, Vancouver and Calgary are drivers for innovation in clean tech, while the Atlantic provinces are driving world-renown accolades through the Ocean Supercluster initiative.