Employment equity
A Critical Analysis of the Annual Report on Employment Equity in the Federal Public Service 2008-09
Employment Equity: Where Do We Stand?
Every year, the Treasury Board must report to Parliament on the progress that the Public Service is making in terms of achieving a representative workforce with respect to the four “designated groups”: women, Aboriginal peoples, racialized people (“visible minorities”), and people with disabilities. The Employment Equity Annual Report 2008-09, tabled on March 29, 2010, shows that while some advances for the equity groups have been made in recent years, there is still a long way to go to achieve a representative and barrier-free Public Service.
What do the broad numbers show?
The Report shows that the gap in representation of racialized people continues and in fact has grown as new census numbers reflect our rapidly changing population. Racialized people now represent 9.8% of the public service workforce (versus 15.3% of people in the labour market).
On the positive side, the Report indicates that recruitment goals for racialized people in the Public Service will be above their “workforce availability” (WFA) rate, in order to close the gap. And yet, the Report does not indicate what that recruitment goal will be. Currently, the WFA number that is used in the Federal Public Service excludes non-citizens and is therefore, at 12.4%, much lower than the 15.3% figure. Further, the number is always out of date because the census is only taken once every five years and it takes two years for the census to be analyzed. Since the Canadian population is rapidly changing, this gap will continue to widen.
- We therefore call on the Treasury Board to use a figure of 1 in 5 (20%) as recommended in the Embracing Change Report, and to explicitly direct departments to use the goal of 1 in 5 in their employment equity plans.
With respect to women, people with disabilities, and Aboriginal Peoples, the Report states that these groups are adequately represented in the Public Service workforce, as compared to their 2006 national workforce availability figures. (Of the total Public Service workforce, 54.7% are women, 4.5% are Aboriginal peoples, and 5.9% are people with disabilities). And yet, the more detailed findings suggest that representation is not even across the various job categories and departments, and that many of the same problems that have persisted for years continue.
What the Report says about:
Where the equity group members are employed
For three of the four equity groups (women, Aboriginal peoples, and racialized people), there remains a gap at the executive level. This means that, despite some successes in making hiring more equitable for these groups in entry and mid-level jobs, they are still not well represented at the higher managerial levels.
As well, equity group members are often clustered in certain jobs and certain departments. For example, Aboriginal peoples continue to be clustered in four departments (Indian and Northern Affairs, Correctional Service Canada, Human Resources and Social Development, and National Defence), and in jobs in the Technical and Operational categories. Women continue to be clustered in jobs in the Administrative Support and Administrative and Foreign Service Categories.
What salaries equity group members are earning
The Report indicates that for three of the four equity groups, salaries are on average lower than those for the entire public service. Although about 40% of all public service workers earned less than $55,000 per year, this number is higher for women (48%), Aboriginal peoples (44%), and people with disabilities (44%). The gap in terms of representation across job categories and levels translates into lower salaries for many equity group members.
The rates at which equity group members being hired and promoted
People with disabilities and racialized people are not being hired at rates which reflect their representation in the overall labour market (their WFA). For both of these groups, there remains a significant gap in terms of hiring into the Public Service.
In terms of the types of jobs equity group members are being hired and promoted into:
- women are most likely to be hired and promoted into jobs in the Administrative Support and Administrative and Foreign Service Categories, and much less likely to be hired or promoted into the Executive, Technical, or Operational categories
- Aboriginal peoples are more likely to be hired and promoted into the Operational, Technical, and Adminstrative Support categories, and much less likely to be hired into the Scientific and Professional category, or promoted to the Executive level
- people with disabilities are very unlikely to be hired or promoted into the Scientific and Professional category as compared to any other occupational category and this is where the biggest gap remains for this group
- racialized people are not being hired at representative levels in 4 out of the 5 occupational categories and are most likely to enter the Public Service through the Administrative Support and Administrative and Foreign Service categories
The rates at which equity group members are leaving the public service
For Aboriginal Peoples, the rate of separation continues to be higher than their hiring rate (3.9% versus 3.3%). The reasons behind this high rate of separation have not been explained by Treasury Board. We do know that it is not due to retirements, since Aboriginal workers in the Public Service are on average younger and have fewer years of service than average. Aboriginal workers did report high levels of harassment and discrimination in the 2008 Public Service Employee Survey, which may explain why many are leaving the public service. We once again call on the Treasury Board to investigate and address this important issue.
The separation rate for people with disabilities is also very high (7.7%) and it has increased from 6.7% in the previous year. While some of this separation rate may be explained by standard retirements, since people with disabilities are more likely to be over age 50 than other workers, this does not explain this high rate of separation entirely. For example, PSAC has dealt with a number of cases involving forced medical retirements and the failure to accommodate a return to work.
- We call on the Treasury Board to investigate this high separation rate, and to examine how many of these separations are due to medical retirements or the failure to accommodate workers with disabilities.
What else does the Report say?
The Annual Report also discusses some of the positive examples and initiatives within the Federal Public Service to implement employment equity in the workplace. For example, the work of the National Joint Council Employment Equity Committee (JEEC), on which PSAC and other bargaining agents are represented. Committees such as the JEEC, and many other committees and consultation forums at the national and departmental levels, are established pursuant to the employer’s legislated obligation to consult with unions under section 15 of the Employment Equity Act. PSAC has been actively engaged in employment equity work for many years, even prior to the current legislation.
Unfortunately, the important role of the unions, and our knowledge and experience in employment equity work is not always recognized. So, for example, the Report indicates that a one-person Workplace and Workforce Task Force was created to explore approaches for building a representative public service, and that consultations were done across many departments and in all regions. And yet, PSAC was not consulted or asked for input as this Task Force sought out ideas about how we can make our workplaces more representative.
- We call on the Treasury Board and departments to consult and collaborate with PSAC on their employment equity initiatives and plans, their review and investigation into barriers in the workplace, and in examining policies and programs that impact equity groups’ participation in the workplace.
For more information about employment equity and PSAC’s Employment Equity Program, please contact Allison Pilon, Employment Equity Program Officer, at (613) 560-4326 or pilona@psac-afpc.com
Date Modified : 2010/04/15
