All metropolitan areas in the Innovation Corridor have suffered severe job losses due to COVID-19, the Toronto Region Board of Trade reported. 

Retail, accommodation and food service businesses have been hardest hit, according to the survey by Statistics Canada.

Toronto has experienced a job loss of 508,800, or 14.34% and Hamilton has lost 59,500 jobs or 13.91%. The job losses in Toronto, Hamilton, Oshawa, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo and Guelph total 633,100, for a total percentage drop of 13.81%.

Accommodation and food services lost 46.2% of its jobs while employment in recreation and sports dropped by nearly 25%, the report said.

The entire economy has been harmed by the pandemic, explained Jane De Silva, president and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade. 

“No community, workplace or industry has been left untouched by the impact of this pandemic, or the measures taken to prevent its spread,” De Silva said in a news release. “By better understanding these trends, however daunting they may appear, we can continue to create an effective plan for our economic recovery – one built on sound regional data, strategic investments and partnerships across government and industry lines.”

The Economic Blueprint Institute (EBI) is working on more analytical reports for the Toronto Region Board of Trade. Over the next few weeks, EBI will focus on the areas of job losses, working from home, inequality and consumer spending to try to get a better look at the holistic impact of COVID-19.