A recent survey of businesses throughout Hamilton is providing a snapshot of the pain inflicted by the coronavirus.
More than half of the 1,040 businesses that responded to the survey conducted by the city, across all wards and sectors, indicate a loss in revenue of more than 50 per cent as a result of the virus and restrictions put in place to manage the pandemic.
Hamilton director of economic development Norm Schleehan says businesses that responded to the survey represent about 35,000 employees in total.
He adds that businesses have reduced employment by almost 13,000 jobs or close to 36 per cent.
Schleehan says more than 20 per cent of the businesses had zero employees at the time they responded to the survey, with those in the personal services, tourism, restaurant/food service and retail sectors the most heavily impacted.
The results of the survey will help guide the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Recovery, which has been created to guide Hamilton’s approach in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger says the goal will be “to get folks back into business” by helping them manage a variety of emerging challenges.
Eisenberger suggests the city will have a role to play in helping businesses find available financing opportunities and with accessing needed supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE).