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ABOUT US WORKING IN NONPROFITS LABOUR MARKET INFORMATION ISSUES & INSIGHTS HR RESOURCE CENTRE NEWSROOM
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Diversity at Work
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Elements of a diverse workforce
In Canada, diversity extends beyond race or ethnicity, religion, culture or newcomer status to include factors such as geography,
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language, politics, gender, beliefs, sexual orientation, economic status, abilities, skills and interests.
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A diverse workplace reflects our communities. Small organizations may have to think about diversity more broadly and consider
their volunteer base, board of directors and community partners.
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When addressing workplace diversity, emphasis is often placed on groups of people who, for historical, cultural and systemic
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reasons, have been excluded from the workforce or face barriers or discrimination that limit their full participation in the labour
market. Diversity initiatives commonly refer to the policies, programs and strategies designed to promote representative
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diversity within organizations.
Unless otherwise noted, the following labour force data is from recent Statistics Canada information at www.statscan.gc.ca.
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Inclusive Language Guide While some areas of the sector are more representative of the wider population (for example, organizations that offer
immigration and settlement services tend to be more diverse), overall, the paid workforce in the nonprofit sector is not.
Learning & Development Aboriginal Peoples is a collective term that includes three separate peoples with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices
and beliefs: First Nations, Métis and Inuit. The Aboriginal Peoples population in Canada is young and growing. Statistics Canada
Resource Index estimates that there will be a 41.9 % increase of young Aboriginal adults in the Canadian labour market between 2001 and 2017.
Ontario and the four western provinces have the largest Aboriginal Peoples populations. In 2006, the highest proportions of
Take Stock Aboriginal populations were found in Nunavut (85.0%), the Northwest Territories (50.3%), Yukon (25.1%), Manitoba (15.5%)
and Saskatchewan (14.9%). Aboriginal Peoples in Canada are increasingly settling in urban areas.
Many nonprofits that work specifically with Aboriginal Peoples communities have a much larger representation of Aboriginal
employees than the rest of the sector. While many current labour force initiatives are focused on the integration of Aboriginal
Peoples into the workforce, the majority of these are found in construction, forestry, trade and business sectors.
The Aboriginal Human Resource Council creates and markets a wide range of products, services and networks to help
organizations develop inclusive workplaces. In addition, the BC Association of Friendship Centers in British Columbia
convenes a network of Aboriginal nonprofits to address common HR issues. Advancing the Aboriginal Non-Profit
Workforce is their first report.
People who identify themselves as GLBTTQ may be hesitant to reveal their sexual orientation or gender identity due to
consequences that could occur in the workplace. Colleagues may change the way they behave or career opportunities could
become stifled. Individuals themselves may become the focus of discrimination or harassment in many forms, ranging from
subtle comments or inappropriate jokes, to more blatant and hostile homophobic conduct and bullying. For some GLBTTQ
employees, fear about being one’s true self at work is an ongoing source of stress. This stress limits the quality of workplace
relationships and can have a negative impact on productivity and health.
CharityVillage’s Non-Profit Neighbourhood directory provides a listing (under LGBT) that makes it easy to find GLBTTQ
organizations in any community, For further online information, webinars and training courses, please visit Out and Equal
Workplace Advocates.
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While it is true that some people with disabilities are unable to participate in the paid workforce, many can work, and would like
to work, but are prevented from doing so because of discrimination and barriers.
For more nonprofit sector labour force information, please visit the Labour Force Matters section of the HR Council’s website.
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