Indigenous skills training and employment face systemic barriers
Systemic barriers and discrimination against Indigenous peoples have been well-documented and ongoing, but Ryerson’s Diversity Institute and Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business report suggests what further research, tools are needed.
A new report titled Mapping the Landscape: Indigenous Skills Training and Jobs in Canada (external link) from the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and Ryerson’s Diversity Institute reveals gaps in employment for Indigenous Peoples across the country, and some key ways forward.
Indigenous youth are the fastest growing segment of the population: by 2026, 350,000 Indigenous youth will come of age. The report finds that if policymakers commit to address underemployment through a focus on quality, targeted and culturally appropriate education, skills and training for Indigenous people, the country’s economy could see a $27.7 billion boost annually.
Mapping the Landscape is part of the Skills Next Project (external link) , a collaboration of the Public Policy Forum and the Diversity Institute at Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management — supported by the Future Skills Centre, which explores a number of the most important issues currently impacting the skills and employment ecosystem in Canada.
Systemic barriers and discrimination
Systemic barriers have been well-documented: chronic under-funding of quality on-reserve education, the challenge of acquiring reliable internet in remote conditions, and the myriad corollary effects of growing up in households disproportionately impacted by poverty and the residential school system has meant that disproportionate numbers of Indigenous youth and adults do not graduate high school — or they graduate without requisite essential literacy and numeracy skills.
Discrimination is very real and ongoing as well: even at higher numeracy and literacy skill levels, First Nations people still have a significantly lower probability of employment (75 per cent) than Métis (87 per cent) or non-Indigenous (90 per cent) people. Notably, even lower-skilled non-Indigenous people have a higher probability of employment than First Nations people (87 per cent). Workplace bullying and discrimination cause some Indigenous people to leave employment. Other studies have shown that the likelihood of success increases when training is culturally appropriate, engages in land-based training and includes wrap-around supports.
“COVID-19 has exacerbated existing disparities in the employment and skills ecosystem and Indigenous communities are among the hardest hit, which lack much of the essential infrastructure to respond – including educational supports, broadband infrastructure and the social and economic resources to adapt,” says Andrew Avgerinos, co-author and research associate at CCAB.
Despite the evident challenges, the authors see many opportunities. With earlier intervention and pre-employment training; culturally appropriate programming to upgrade essential skills as well as wrap-around services such as transportation support and affordable, accessible childcare, rates of employment and success can be significantly improved.
The future of work
Indigenous businesses are growing and — importantly — creating employment for others. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are increasing, in fact, Indigenous women are starting businesses at twice the rate of non-Indigenous women. If there is an opportunity for the next generation, and for current adult workers, to leapfrog into the future of Canadian work, it may very well be through Indigenous-led business. At the same time, they are also disproportionately affected by COVID-19. They tend to be in service industries, smaller and under-financed, making them far more vulnerable.
The gaps in Indigenous education and skills-training are a labour and business problem. The risk of disruptive innovation to Indigenous job loss is compounded by the fact that Indigenous firms already identify finding talented staff as a significant hurdle. These factors represent potential headwinds for Indigenous businesses, threatening to make growth more difficult if concrete actions are not taken to upskill prospective staff.
“We need to take action to ensure we do not lose the gains that have been made,” said Ashley Richard, Indigenous partnership coordinator for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub at the Diversity Institute. “We need more granularity on the data on Indigenous Peoples’ skills and employment and experience as entrepreneurs in order to steer evidence-driven policy. A better understanding of the nature of Indigenous labour market data gaps, what works to close them and the many untold success stories can improve opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and boost Canada’s economic and social development.”
To read the entire report, visit the Future Skills Centre’s website (external link) .