A survey by a Canadian not-for-profit says that over 300,000 restaurant jobs have been lost in Ontario as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Restaurants Canada estimates that 800,000 jobs have been lost in the sector nationwide. The company, which represents restaurants nationwide, said nearly one in 10 restaurants in Canada have already closed and nearly one in five expect to close if conditions don’t get better in a month.
The company’s CEO and President, Shanna Munro, said the numbers are the worst he’s seen since Restaurants Canada was founded 75 years ago. “Not only was our industry among the first to feel the impacts of COVID-19, we’ve been one of the hardest hit so far, with nearly two thirds of our workforce now lost,” said Munro.