Transcript The Contemporary Aboriginal Workforce

The Contemporary Aboriginal
Workforce
Aboriginal employees will help reach and
service the large, growing Aboriginal
market.
Key Facts:
•
Population size- there are more than 1.3 million Aboriginal peoples
across Canada (See Figure 2).
•
Population growth - one of the fastest growing segments of the
population in Canada, the Aboriginal population is increasing in every
province and territory (See Figures 1, 3, 4, 5).
•
Sectoral impacts - significant positive impact will affect certain
sectors such as education/training services, computer-based learning,
youth recreation market, etc.
•
Growing financial strength - land claim settlements have yielded, and
will continue to yield, large sums of money to the Aboriginal population.
As a result, significant amounts are spent outside Aboriginal
communities, benefiting surrounding non-Aboriginal economies.
•
Purchasing power - resulting from population growth, income growth,
economic development and land claims. Aboriginal communities comprise
a multi-billion-dollar market for goods and services (Figure 15).
Aboriginal peoples represent an important
source of new entrants and new skills for
the workforce.
Key Facts:
•
Labour force growth - over the next decade (1997-2007), the
Aboriginal labour force is projected to grow by 23 percent (Figures 7,
8).
•
Rising education levels - the number of Aboriginal peoples with postsecondary education tripled between 1981 and 1991 to 150,000. The
retention rate of on-reserve schools increased from 13 percent in
1969-70 to 75 percent in 1995-96 (Figure 12).
•
Extensive training activities - Aboriginal peoples participate in many
training initiatives. In 1990, Human Resources Development Canada
(HRDC) started to sign partnership agreements with Aboriginal peoples
to facilitate Aboriginal training and employment. In the latter part of
this decade, HRDC has been exploring and experiencing the transfer of
authority over the design and delivery of Aboriginal training and
employment programming to the Aboriginal community. The overall
budget for this exercise, renewed for five years as of April 1999,
continues to be over $200 million per year.
Aboriginal peoples represent an important
source of new entrants and new skills for
the workforce. (Continued)
Key Facts:
•
Relevant skills - Aboriginal peoples work in many occupations, including
business and finance, management, social sciences and education,
health, and natural and applied sciences (See Figure 14).
•
Proximity to workplaces - most Aboriginal peoples live within commuting
distance of the majority of workplaces. More than 80 percent of the
on-reserve registered Indian population lives near urban centres or
rural communities (See Figure 10).
•
Increased mobility - today, Aboriginal peoples are much more mobile,
with many relocating to where opportunities are available (Figure 11).
Aboriginal employment opportunities
contribute to local community support for
new resource development projects.
Key Facts:
•
Environmental legislation - federal and provincial environmental
legislation gives local Aboriginal communities considerable influence
over project approvals, especially if such projects would have a
significant socio-economic impact on lifestyle and traditional activities.
•
Licensing approvals - the Ontario government has stipulated that any
developer of "areas of traditional use by First Nations" must negotiate
all aspects of the development with the local First Nations, as part of
the licensing approval process.
•
Socio-economic impacts - the Nunavut Impact Review Board has the
mandate to screen and review projects that may have significant
adverse socio-economic effects on northerners or projects that
generate significant public concern.
Providing employment opportunities
facilitates successful business joint
ventures with Aboriginal communities.
Key Facts:
• Community infrastructure - the growth and revitalization of
many Aboriginal communities is generating significant growth of
community infrastructure, providing opportunities for joint
ventures in construction and other areas of infrastructure
development (Figure 16).
• Aboriginal Business Procurement Policy - the policy is designed
to increase the number of Aboriginal businesses and joint
ventures bidding for federal government contracts. All federal
departments are encouraged to set aside opportunities for
Aboriginal suppliers. Aboriginal firms are given first opportunity
to supply goods and services in contracts servicing Aboriginal
communities. Aboriginal joint ventures must be 51 percent
Aboriginal owned and firms of six or more employees, 33
percent of full-time employees must be Aboriginal.
Aboriginal employees bring knowledge and
values that can assist corporate change
and growth.
Key Facts:
•
Aboriginal values - Aboriginal peoples place a high value on consensus
and respect for others.
•
Diversity in decision making - Aboriginal employment increasing
diversity in the workplace. This, in turn, yields richness of ideas,
better-informed decisions and enhanced performance within the
organization.
•
Respect for land - land is a valued legacy to future generations.
Traditional philosophy of land management is based on long-term
protection of the environment.
•
Traditional knowledge - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has noted that "the indigenous peoples
of the world possess an immense knowledge of their environments,
based on centuries of living close to nature. Living in and from the
richness and variety of complex ecosystems, they have an
understanding of the properties of plants and animals, the functioning
of ecosystems and the techniques for using and managing them...."
Aboriginal employment helps companies
meet their legal obligations and improves
their access to federal contracts.
Key Facts:
•
Employment Equity Act - the Act requires federally-regulated
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Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - the Charter (and provincial
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Provincial surface lease agreements - such agreements may set
conditions that require mining companies to create and improve
employment opportunities for Aboriginal peoples.
•
Federal Contractors Program - major contractors to the federal
government are required to implement and report on their employment
equity initiatives.
employers to achieve a representative workforce. Organizations that
fall short of this goal may face complaints under the Canadian Human
Rights Act on grounds of employment discrimination.
and territorial human rights statutes) permits employers to take special
measures to achieve equitable representation of Aboriginal peoples and
other groups in the workforce.
Aboriginal employment opens
international opportunities, especially in
the resources area.
Key Facts:
•
New mining opportunities - as the likelihood of large surface mines in
traditional mining areas diminishes, the exploration focus in on new
frontiers such as Canada’s northern territories, Latin America and AsiaPacific, all areas with significant indigenous populations.
•
Investment risk - community support or opposition significantly impacts
the risk and costs of large capital projects. Corporate risk-management
strategies place more emphasis on initiatives to achieve long-term
community support.
References
•
Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative (Employer Toolkit
book), c 1998 Indian and Northern Affairs, CanadaGraphics
reproduced by Barry Andrie, A.Sc.T., GIS Unit, IT, Saskatchewan
Education, with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and
Government Services Canada, 2002.