Reflecting on present COVID-19 pandemic times in Canada and using both visible and ethnic ancestry information from the 2016 census, the author produced an occupational portrait of the Latin American workforce of the Health and Sales & Services sectors of the country. The focus was on full-time, full-year workers, aged 25-64, who received employment income in 2015. The workforce in the Health and Sales & Services sectors totaled 5.5 thousand and 24.3 thousand individuals respectively.

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... e occupational portrait, which was developed based on the Canadian 2016 NOC occupational classification system, revealed an active participation of Latino workers in activities enhancing sanitary protection and the economic survival of the Canadian population. Women, and established and recent immigrants as well as those reporting Central American ethnic origins were found among those who most participated in the economic activities of the sectors. The most typical jobs performed by Latin American workers were as nursing aides in the Health sector and janitorial (males) and light or specialized cleaners (women) in the Sales & Services sector. The nature of these jobs made them a high health-risk group and vulnerable one in pandemic times as they entail working in close proximity to other colleagues and the general public.