It's now easier for small employers in Saskatchewan to have an employment equity program.

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission is modifying its procedures for small employers who want an employment equity program but don't want to spend of lot of time setting it up and administering it.

Small employers are defined as those having fewer than 25 (full-time equivalent) employees.

Assistant Director Donalda Ford said she anticipates that these changes will lead to the development of several new employment equity plans. "Many small employers support the principles of employment equity but are worried about being tied up in a time-consuming administrative process."

She said the Commission acknowledges that for many small employers the employment equity process was not simple enough. "We've come to recognize that the process in place works better for the larger employer than for the very small one. So we're making adjustments that streamline the process in a way that will allow an employer to hire affirmatively and yet will still allow the Commission to oversee the process."

Ninety-three percent of all employers in Saskatchewan have fewer than 25 employees and 63.6 percent have fewer than five employees.

"Clearly, the vast majority of all employers in Saskatchewan can be described as small employers. We need to modify employment equity in a way that suits this significant group."

How it will work

Small employers setting up an employment equity plan will need to take the following steps.

Sometimes it's as simple as an employer saying he or she wants to set up an employment equity program. But if there's a more complex organizational structure - for example, if there's a board or commission - then there needs to be a statement of commitment to employment equity from that governing body. This is also a requirement for large employers.

2. Workforce analysis

The small employer will have to provide a workforce analysis, just as larger employers do. To obtain a workforce analysis, the employer surveys the workforce and identifies where designated groups are underrepresented. However, this is a less time-consuming task for small employers because there are fewer employees and usually fewer categories of employment.

3. Goals

Both large and small employers will have the same long-term goal - an inclusive workplace. Employers know their workplace is an inclusive one when the proportion of designated group members in their workforce is the same as in the population as a whole.

In Saskatchewan four groups have been designated for equity programs - Aboriginal people, women, people with disabilities, and those from visible minority groups. These are the groups that historically have experienced the greatest barriers to equality and continue to experience persistent discrimination. In 1995-96, approximately 91 percent of employment complaints to the commission involved these four groups.

Although women do not have a higher unemployment rate than men overall, they are a designated group because they face a range of attitudinal and other barriers when they attempt to enter managerial or nontraditional occupations. In employment equity plans women are considered underrepresented if they constitute fewer than 45 percent of the workers in a job.

The representation of designated groups in the Saskatchewan labour force is set out in the table below. These are the numbers that both small and large employers are trying to achieve.

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