Racialized groups are projected to account for a growing share of the population and the labour force. PHOTO by Pexels.
Canada’s workforce is growing and is also becoming more diverse.
According to the latest census data, over one-quarter (26.5%) of those who were employed in May 2021 were members of a racialized group, up from 21.3% five years earlier. In the coming years, racialized groups are projected to account for a growing share of the population and the labour force.
In March 2023, racialized groups comprised 28.6% of the employed population in Canada (not seasonally adjusted, three-month moving averages). The largest groups were South Asian, Chinese and Black Canadians. Taken together, the three groups accounted for 17.0% of Canada’s employed population in the month.
From March 2022 to March 2023, the employment rate among core-aged South Asian Canadians rose 2.4 percentage points to reach 84.2%. This primarily reflected an increase in the employment rate of South Asian women, which was up 4.7 percentage points over the period to reach 78.3% in March. The employment rate for South Asian men was 89.5% in March, little changed from 12 months earlier.
The employment rate of core-aged Chinese Canadians was 78.4% in March, little changed from a year prior (78.8%). In March, 75.2% of core-aged Chinese women and 82.3% of core-aged Chinese men were employed.
In March, 79.9% of core-aged Black Canadians were employed, compared with 78.6% a year earlier. Among men, the employment rate rose 2.3 percentage points over the period and reached 85.0% in March 2023. The increase was most notable in Ontario, where the employment rate for core-aged Black men rose 6.3 percentage points to reach 83.7%. Among core-aged Black women, at the Canada level, the employment rate was 75.2% in March, little changed from a year earlier (74.7%).
