We often talk about income inequalities between men and women, but very little about income inequalities between racialized and non-racialized communities.

Visible minorities, Indigenous people and people with disabilities face employment obstacles in a variety of industries, including public services, according to a January 2021 Public Service Commission report.
In fact, between 2016 and 2017, 30.4% of candidates for the public service were members of visible minorities, but they represented only 24.7% of appointments.

Besides, according to a recent study by Statistics Canada, being Black in Canada means getting a 26% lower salary, facing a higher unemployment rate, and being often victim of employment discrimination.

Some statistics show that:

• In 2015, Black men earned, on average $ 15,000 less than other men on a yearly basis
• In 2016, Black women were almost twice at risk of being discriminated against in their workplace, compared to other women
• In 2016, the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people was twice as high as non-Aboriginal people.

These figures highlight systemic employment discriminations, as well as the invisible barriers Black and Indigenous communities face, both economically and socially. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened this gap with numerous job losses and the closures of many small businesses run by visible minorities.

We believe that businesses in the private sector have a major role to play in reducing these inequalities by collaborating with initiatives like Systemic Participation, to tackle employment-related systemic barriers and to increase resources, programs and services addressing employment obstacles for people of color.

This article is part of the campaign Systemic Participation. Funded by Heritage Canada :