Commission Publication
March 1997
| The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
reviewed the progress of the province's employment equity programs
at a seminar in Saskatoon on June 26, 1996 and concluded that
the previous year had been a disappointing one.
Donna Greschner, who was Chief Commissioner
in June, said that some of the designated groups made slender
gains and others didn't progress at all.
Employment equity programs focus on
employment opportunities for four designated groups: women, Aboriginal
people, people with disabilities and members of visible minorities.
The goal of employment equity is to create an inclusive workplace.
One measure of success is how closely the employment rate of designated
groups matches their representation in Saskatchewan's labour market.
Every year the Commission reviews all
equity plans approved under The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code
and reports on that review at the June employment equity seminar.
Last year there were 30 plans, all of them voluntary. There were
four new plans: SaskPower, Northlands College, Saskatchewan Communications
Network, and the Community Health Services (Saskatoon) Association.
The 30 plans cover about 33,000 employees.
"The past year was a disappointing
one for the province's voluntary employment equity program,"
Greschner said. The year's review showed that there were only
marginal increases in the representation of designated groups.
Aboriginal people represented 5.1 percent
of employees in workplaces where there are equity plans, compared
to 4.8 percent the previous year. The goal employers are trying
to reach for Aboriginal people is 12.2 percent. People with disabilities
increased their employment rate from 3.4 percent to 3.7 percent,
but this remains far below their 9.7 percent representation in
the labour market. |
Women held only 23.2 percent of senior
management positions and 31 percent of middle management positions
in 1995-96, though they make up 45 percent of the Saskatchewan
workforce. There was virtually no increase in female managers
over the previous year, and in some workplaces the number actually
declined. Greschner noted that women still encounter a "glass
ceiling" barring their way to promotion, even in workplaces
where there are equity plans.
Though the number of Code-approved
plans increased in 1995-96, the number of employees covered actually
decreased because of downsizing and reorganization in several
workplaces.
In her opening remarks to the seminar,
Greschner said that employment equity in the province seems stalled,
"but we are not pessimistic about this, at least not yet."
She urged participants not to be discouraged but to consider ways
to move forward. "It is time to redouble our efforts and
get past this plateau."
John Nilson, Minister of Justice, opened
the conference and reconfirmed the provincial government's commitment
to employment equity.
Highlights
The remainder of the day was divided
into sessions on the key elements of employment equity: senior
level commitment, building employee support, creating partnerships,
and training employees to work in a diverse workplace. The current Chief Commissioner/Director, Donna Scott, said she is looking forward to receiving the employment equity reports for 1996-97. "I know that equity employers are committed to making their workplaces more inclusive. I am hopeful that this year their hard work will be reflected in increased representation of designated groups." | |||||||||||||||||
...continued A Simpler EE Process Designed For Small Employees | ||||||||||||||||||
Both large and small employers are trying to make the workforce representative, as set out in the table above. Those are their long-term hiring goals. Large employers are also expected to set | short-term hiring goals, plus timetables
for reaching them. Small employers will be encouraged to set
short-term hiring goals, as well, if it is reasonable for them
to do so.
4. Positive measures
There is a broad range of positive measures
that support employment equity. Large employers are asked to review
their workplace systems to see if there are any barriers to a
fair workplace, and to modify or change whatever is causing a
problem.
Small employers will not be asked to
do this kind of review. Instead, the Commission has identified
five positive measures which are basic to a fair work place and
is asking all small employers to implement them. |
|||||||||||||||||