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In the private sector

The representation of visible minorities has increased every year since 1987. From the 4.9% reported in 1987, their share of private sector employment has increased to 10.6% as of December 31, 2000, in line with the 1996 Census benchmark of 10.3%. The increase in representation stems from visible minorities accounting for 12.0% of all hires in 2000, surpassing the 10.6% share they received the previous year, and substantially higher than the 5.2% share received in 1987. However, the 2001 Census is expected to establish a higher availability estimate for this designated group.

In both the banking and communications sectors, members of visible minorities received shares of hires well above the 10.3% Census benchmark. Their representation in the banking sector reached 16.6%, a somewhat higher share than the previous year and a substantial increase from the 9.5% representation reported in 1987. In the communications sector, the representation of visible minorities also increased and now stands at 9.7% of the labour force. This is somewhat below availability, but more than double their 4.0% representation in 1987.

In the transportation sector, the representation of visible minority groups remained stable compared with 1999, at 7.0%. Nevertheless, there has been progress since 1987 when their representation was only 2.5%. Their share of hires was 9.6% in 2000, up from 7.7% in the previous year. However, as noted above, these data should be interpreted with some caution since many of the employers reporting for the first time in 2000 have not yet completed workforce surveys.

In the "other" sector, visible minorities lost ground for the third year in a row. In 1987, their representation was 2.5% and although it increased to 8.1% by 1997, it fell to 6.8% in 2000. In this sector, visible minorities have consistently received a share of hires below availability, which fell from 9.1% in 1999 to 7.1% in 2000.

Steady but uneven progress is being made for visible minorities, and much remains to be done. Their representation has reached the 1996 Census benchmark only in the banking sector, and they have yet to obtain an equitable share of employment elsewhere. In addition, visible minorities remain substantially under-represented in senior management positions, where their representation is less than half of availability.

In the public sector

For the past several years the Commission has expressed concern about the lack of progress in remedying the substantial under-representation of visible minorities in many federal departments and agencies. This year it is encouraging to note several positive instances of change.

The representation of visible minorities in the federal public service rose to 6.1% as of March 31, 2001, an increase from 5.5% the previous year. The data provided by Treasury Board suggest that the gain results largely from hires rather than increased self-identification. Visible minorities received 8.1% of all hires, substantially higher than the 5.7% received the year before. More significantly, their share of permanent hires rose from 8.3% in the previous year to 11.5%, for the first time higher than the Census benchmark of 10.3%. Although their share of hires into temporary jobs was only 7.3%, this was also a substantial increase from the year before, when they received only 5.1%.

This overall progress is encouraging, but visible minorities continue to be hired mainly into the Scientific and Professional category. Only 2 of the 41 appointments to the Executive Group were members of visible minorities, a somewhat lower proportion than the previous year. During the course of the audits, departments are required to set hiring and promotion goals to remedy under-representation. They are also reporting to TBS on their achievement of the targets set by the Embracing Change Task Force. The Commission will be carefully monitoring whether departments and agencies meet their goals and will follow up where necessary. Increased hiring rates will be especially important since the availability of visible minorities is expected to increase when data from the 2001 Census become available.

Of the 41 departments and agencies with more than 200 employees, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada had the highest representation of visible minorities, at 21.0%. Twenty-seven of these departments and agencies registered increases in the representation of visible minorities, and five had sufficient visible minority employees to meet the Census benchmark of 10.3%, compared with only one in the previous year.

These signs of progress are encouraging; however, the increased hiring will need to grow and be sustained for a number of years before visible minorities are equitably represented in all occupational groups and departments of the federal public service.

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