Employment

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Employment rates
Labour force status
Most common reasons for not finding a job
Employment by industry

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Employment rates

Chart 15 Employment rate of population aged 25 to 64 years, by Aboriginal identity, Canada, 2011

Description for Chart 15

Aboriginal people less likely to be employed than their non-Aboriginal counterparts

The 2011 National Household Survey shows an employment rate of 62.5 % among Aboriginal people of core working age (aged 25 to 64 ). The comparable rate for non-Aboriginal people is 75.8 %.

The employment rate was 57.1% for First Nations people aged 25 to 64, which is similar to the employment rate for Inuit (58.6%) and lower than the employment rate for Métis (71.2%) in that age group.

Although Aboriginal people are still less likely than non-Aboriginal people to be employed, the employment rate gap for those with a high school diploma, or with a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree is less than that for all levels of education. A gap of 5 percentage points exists between the employment rates of Aboriginal people (76.2%) and of the non-Aboriginal population (81.1%) for those with a high school diploma and a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, compared to a gap of 13 percentage points (62.5% versus 75.8%) when all levels of education are accounted for.

For additional information, see 2011 National Household Survey: Data tables.

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Labour force status

Table 4
Labour force status, by Aboriginal identity, high school completers and leavers, aged 18 to 44 years, Canada, 2012
Table summary
This table displays the results of Distribution of the labour force by Aboriginal identity. The information is grouped by Labour force status (appearing as row headers), Off-reserve First Nations people, Métis, Inuit, completers and leavers, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Labour force status	Off-reserve First Nations people		Métis		Inuit
	completers^{Note with dagger for table 4†}	leavers	completers^{Note with dagger for table 4†}	leavers	completers^{Note with dagger for table 4†}	leavers
	percent
Employed	72	47^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	80	61^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	71	44^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}
Unemployed	9	15^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	6	11^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	9	17^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}
Not in labour force	20	37^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	14	28^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}	20	39^{Note with asterisk for table 4*}
Note ^† reference category Return to note with dagger for table 4† referrer Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to note with asterisk for table 4* referrer Note: ‘Completers’ refers to people who have a high school diploma or equivalent and ‘leavers’ refers to those who were not attending school at the time of the survey and had not completed high school. Source: Statistics Canada, Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2012.

High school completers more likely to be employed

The 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) shows that nearly 3 out of 4 (72%) off-reserve First Nations people aged 18 to 44 years who had completed high school (completers) had a job, that 9% among this group were unemployed and looking for work, and that 20% were not in the labour force (neither working nor looking for work). Among Métis high school completers aged 18 to 44 years, 80% had a job, 6% were unemployed and looking for work, and 14% were not in the labour force. In this same age group, 7 in 10 (71%) Inuit completers had a job, while 9% were unemployed and looking for work, and 20% were not in the labour force.

The labour force profile of high school leavers was different. Among First Nations leavers, results were the following: 47% were employed; 15% were unemployed; and 37% were not in the labour force. The situation was similar for Inuit leavers: 44% were employed; 17% were unemployed; and 39% were not in the labour force. However, among Métis leavers, a higher proportion (61%) were employed, and fewer were unemployed (11%) or not in the labour force (28%).

For additional information, see The Education and Employment Experiences of First Nations People Living Off Reserve, Inuit, and Métis: Selected Findings from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

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Most common reasons for not finding a job

Table 5
Selected reasons for not finding work among unemployed completers and leavers aged 18 to 44 years, by Aboriginal identity, Canada, 2012
Table summary
This table displays the results of Selected reasons for not finding work among unemployed completers and leavers aged 18 to 44 years. The information is grouped by Selected reasons for not finding work (appearing as row headers), Off-reserve First Nations people, Métis, Inuit, completers and leavers, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Selected reasons for not finding work	Off-reserve First Nations people		Métis		Inuit
	completers^{Note with dagger for table 5†}	leavers	completers^{Note with dagger for table 5†}	leavers	completers^{Note with dagger for table 5†}	leavers
	percent
Shortage of work	57	64	55	54	69	85
Work inexperience	52	65	54	63	40	62^{Note with asterisk for table 5*}
Lack of education/training	38	69^{Note with asterisk for table 5*}	45	72^{Note with asterisk for table 5*}	37	69^{Note with asterisk for table 5*}
Note ^† reference category Return to note with dagger for table 5† referrer Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to note with asterisk for table 5* referrer Notes: ‘Completers’ refers to people who have a high school diploma or equivalent and ‘leavers’ refers to those who were not attending school at the time of the survey and had not completed high school. Percentages do not add up because respondents could choose more than one answer. Source: Statistics Canada, Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2012.

Most common reasons for not finding work: shortage of jobs, lacking the necessary work experience and not having the necessary training and education

Other reasons cited as barriers to finding work include the following: 39% of off-reserve First Nations people reported not having transportation ; 41% of Inuit cited not knowing where to look; and 32% of Métis reported not knowing what type of job they wanted.

For all three Aboriginal groups, leavers were more likely than completers to say that they did not have the appropriate education or training.

For additional information, see The Education and Employment Experiences of First Nations People Living Off Reserve, Inuit, and Métis: Selected Findings from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey.

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Employment by industry

Chart 16 Employment distribution of the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identity population aged 25 to 54, by industry, Canada, 2010

Description for Chart 16

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers concentrated in different industries

The Labour Force Survey (which excludes people living on reserves and in the territories) shows that, in 2010, Aboriginal people were more likely to be employed in public administration; construction; forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas; and health care and social assistance than their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

The representation of non-Aboriginal people was higher in professional, scientific and technical services; finance, insurance, real estate and leasing; manufacturing; and retail and wholesale trade for the core working age group of 25 to 54 years.

For additional information, see Aboriginal People and the Labour Market: Estimates from the Labour Force Survey, 2008-2010.