{"id":59788,"date":"2025-02-10T16:17:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-10T21:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.supportedemployment.ca\/?p=59788"},"modified":"2025-04-03T17:20:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T21:20:07","slug":"practices-to-address-employment-inequities-faced-by-black-job-seekers-and-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supportedemployment.ca\/fr\/practices-to-address-employment-inequities-faced-by-black-job-seekers-and-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pratiques pour rem\u00e9dier aux in\u00e9galit\u00e9s d'emploi rencontr\u00e9es par les chercheurs d'emploi et les travailleurs noirs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Pratiques pour rem\u00e9dier aux in\u00e9galit\u00e9s d'emploi rencontr\u00e9es par les chercheurs d'emploi et les travailleurs noirs<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Black\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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This post focuses on a few of the employment-related barriers shared by many Black persons, including those who experience disability. We also offer practices for employment service providers and employers that can help to address some of these inequities. <\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Pour la version fran\u00e7aise de cet article, veuillez cliquer ici.<\/a>  | Pour la version fran\u00e7aise de cette publication, veuillez cliquer ici.<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The more than 1.5 million Black people who live across Canada form very diverse populations with 371 ethnic and cultural origins and approximately 250 languages. Black families have lived in Canada for 400 years and, today, almost 41% are Canadian born. The remainder come from approximately 182 different countries, mainly in Africa and the Caribbean. (1)(2)\u00a0<\/p>

The employment experiences of Black people in Canada are just as diverse and can be compounded by their varied identities, including culture, race, disability, gender, age, and education. While we could only cover a few of the employment barriers in this post, we want to acknowledge the great diversity of experiences and the lack of research that fully explores them.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Black People Face Ongoing Employment Inequity<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The proportion of Black Canadians with a bachelor\u2019s degree or higher (32.4%) is almost identical to the national average (32.9%). Yet, Black workers face lower earnings and almost twice the unemployment rate compared to the general population and compared to Canadians from other ethnic backgrounds. Black men (6.3%) and black women (4.3%) are also underrepresented in management positions compared to white men (11.3%) and white women (6.9%). (3)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Racial Discrimination and Bias Impact Hiring and Career Progression<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Two key areas in the workplace are impacted by racial discrimination and unconscious bias: 1) the hiring process, and 2) workplace integration and career progression.\u00a0<\/p>

Studies have shown that Black job applicants face discrimination during hiring, including biases in resume screening and interview selection. One study found that white job applicants received more callbacks than Black applicants, even when both groups had identical resumes. (3)\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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In the 2023 Black Canadian National Survey, 48% of Black male and 45% of Black female respondents reported experiencing unfair treatment by an employer regarding hiring, pay, or promotion. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Workplace discrimination and microaggressions can contribute to underrepresentation in leadership and to wage disparities.\u00a0Negative experiences with staff at all levels can lead workers to feeling \u201con guard\u201d to protect themselves against bias, which takes an emotional toll and can impact engagement and retention. (3)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Cr\u00e9dit : Francis Odeyemi \u2013 Unsplash<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A participant in CASE\u2019s Diversity Works study said that microaggressions associated with her success at work affected her emotional well-being and almost led her to give up her position. (4)\u00a0<\/span>In the same study, an employer mentions witnessing very different staff reactions to two employees who had both experienced similar life situations that affected their work. \u201c\u2026the white woman was treated with the utmost respect and compassion. The Black woman was judged\u2026 (Staff) were accusatory…\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Intersectionality of Race, Disability, Gender, and Age<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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During job searches, Black job seekers can struggle with their intersecting identities associated with race, disability, gender, and age. In one study (Grewal et al, 2024), Michael, a Black professional experiencing disability, sought to understand whether his identities influenced his ability to find sustainable work:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cDoes it have to do with my disabilities? I don\u2019t know. Does it have to do with my race? I don\u2019t know…. I am trying to figure it out, the problem with having so many intersectionalities. \u2026 I feel like they have changed to focus on young people with disabilities.\u201d (5)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Job seekers who identify as Black can also face complicated decisions around disclosure when applying for diversity-focused job postings. Is it safe to disclose both their race and their disability in the application? Is this employer more likely to hire non-disabled, racialized workers, or white workers who experience disability? (4)\u00a0<\/p>

A 2023 DAWN Canada study reports that ableism, racism, and discrimination sometimes reinforce each other in the workplace: \u201cThese women expressed feeling like managers could use their disability as a justification to either not employ them or maintain them in low-level positions. These experiences reflect how ableism reinforces racist practices: these systems are interconnected.\u201d (6)<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Practices to Address Inequities in the Workplace<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The following practices were informed by CASE\u2019s\u00a0La diversit\u00e9 fait travailler<\/a>\u00a0project and by the SRDC report,\u00a0Lacunes dans les programmes de mesures actives pour les personnes noires au Canada<\/a>.<\/p>

The inclusion of Black people and organizations as active participants in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies\/procedures, practices, or programs is strongly recommended. Inclusion at all stages ensures relevance and fosters awareness and sustainable outcomes for Black people in employment and training programs and in workplaces.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Employment Services<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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