Understanding the Value, Challenges, and Opportunities of Engaging Métis, Inuit, and First Nations Workers

This report discusses the challenges and opportunities that Canadian employers face when engaging Aboriginal workers. It offers strategies that employers can pursue to improve the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal employees.

Document Highlights

Canadian businesses face current and future challenges finding enough qualified workers to meet their needs. The Aboriginal population of Canada—including Métis, Inuit, and First Nation—as an underutilized source of labour, can help businesses fill skills and labour gaps.

Understanding the Value, Challenges, and Opportunities of Engaging Métis, Inuit, and First Nations workers analyses the challenges and opportunities employers encounter when engaging Aboriginal workers in Canada. An online survey and interviews with Canadian businesses industry associations, and Aboriginal employment organizations examined their engagement and experiences with Aboriginal workers. The report acts as a starting point for creating a greater understanding of how to overcome the labour market integration challenges facing Aboriginal workers in Canada. In addition, it provides recommendations on the steps that employers, Aboriginal organizations, and policy-makers can take to help improve the labour market participation of Aboriginal workers.