as echoed in previous research, not only do precarious employees work at
multiple sites
, but there are significant financial consequences for workers if they call in sick. these workers are often employed in low-income jobs such as
ancillary workers or support staff
in the
health-care sector
, gig-economy employees,
taxi drivers and temporary, contract or agency workers
. they face financial penalties for missing work.
although federal employment insurance sickness benefits offer qualifying workers
a portion of their wages
, the maximum benefit is only 55 per cent of wages. in addition, there are
waiting periods
that may serve as disincentives.
similarly, the
canada recovery sickness benefit
offers income support for workers with covid-19, but it’s only $450 a week after taxes. in addition, workers can only apply after missing 50 per cent of their work week, meaning they cannot use it to stay home when sick on the first day of symptoms.
all of this means that precariously employed, low-wage workers have little incentive to be away from work when sick if they are already struggling to make ends meet on their full salaries. indeed, recent research suggests that in the long-term care sector, workers
did not earn enough
to adequately provide for their families.
income inequalities combined with racism
have also been reported. so while the covid-19 vaccine seems promising, an important question is: how does one vaccinate against precarious work?