TORONTO, ON - Leading Canadian organizations, including the Toronto Transit Authority (TTC), Sephora Canada, the Ontario government and Professional Engineers Ontario, are implementing new, comprehensive policies to better recruit and retain underrepresented female employees. The updated initiatives are a direct response to a landmark study that found a majority of BIPOC women were planning to quit their jobs due to dissatisfaction and unfair treatment.

Companies are now rethinking outdated policies that require Canadian experience and implementing more direct opportunities for mentorship, inclusion and fair treatment.

Changing Face of Canada’s Workforce Study

The “Changing Face of Canada’s Workforce Study,” produced in 2022, found that South Asian women, in particular, were dissatisfied at work, with 57% planning to leave, and 34% saying they experience unfair treatment in the workplace. An additional 46% of BIPOC immigrant women admitted they wanted to leave their jobs, in comparison to only 27% of white women.

The findings are especially important given that the number of permanent residents are rapidly rising in Canada, effectively reshaping the workforce According to the Government of Canada, immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada's labour force growth, and, by 2032, it is projected to account for 100% of Canada's population growth.”

“Since the release of the study, policy makers from all levels of government as well as private sector leaders have reached out to better understand how to remove systemic barriers for this important sector of the workforce. They understood that by tackling these barriers for South Asian and other immigrant women, they could better unlock the potential of other important underrepresented groups,” says Ruby Dhillon, CEO and Founder of Pink Attitude Evolution, which commissioned the study, in partnership with John Stevenson, Founding Principal CulturaliQ.

TTC Initiatives

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) worked with Pink Attitude Evolution over the past year to improve its DEI programs. In the last two years the commission increased events recognizing employees of Asian descent and is looking to remove policies hindering immigrant job seekers, including Canadian work experience requirements.

Pink Attitude Evolution also connected the TTC with Northeastern University and Humber College to expand hiring practices to new talent pools, including international students. “Diversity and inclusion are top priorities for the TTC, and for me personally as CEO,” said TTC CEO Rick Leary. “It is important that everyone sees the TTC as a desirable place to work. Reports like this one have helped us think about some of the unique challenges our employees face, particularly those of Asian and South Asian decent, and how we can develop solutions to address some of those issues.”

Sephora Canada Initiatives

Sephora Canada has also been a long-time proponent of the need to better support South Asian and other marginalized communities and was one of the sponsors the Pink Attitude study. “The insights from the Pink Attitude x Cultural iQ study were helpful additions to the data we've been collecting; this data has supported us in identifying opportunities for improvement, in connecting with future talent and supporting employees currently working at Sephora. We've since been able to launch initiatives that have continued to support positive change,” says Salma Dhanani, Senior Manager, Inclusion & Belonging, Sephora Canada.

The brand launched a South Asian employee resource group called Gold, which highlights cultural and religious moments throughout the year, furthering employee awareness and engagement. It has also launched a structured mentorship program internally called the Sephora Talent Incubator Program (STIP), as a key initiative meant to support under-represented talent in career development and advancement for greater representation amongst Sephora’s future leaders.

Ontario Government's Legislation

The Ontario government was also quick to act. In October 2021, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development worked with the organization, among others, to introduce historic legislation banning regulated professions from requiring Canadian work experience. Following the announcement, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) became the first organization to eliminate the Canadian work experience requirement from their application criteria in response to the legislation. As of December 2, 2023, Canadian work experience is no longer required for registration in any regulated profession under the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA). Led by the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, David Piccini, Ontario passed further legislation in March 2024 to ban the use of Canadian work experience as a requirement in job postings or application forms.

“Newcomers offer skills that Ontario needs, particularly in fields like the skilled trades and healthcare,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “To help them succeed, our government is working to eliminate barriers through faster recognition of foreign credentials, banning Canadian experience requirements and, in our newest bill, bringing forward measures to require regulated professions to offer alternatives to newcomers who lack documents because of factors beyond their control, like war or natural disasters.”

Since the study’s release, Pink Attitude Evolution has developed additional initiatives to empower young BIPOC women to achieve their full potential. The first is a six-month leadership development course in partnership with Core Allies, LCC which includes peer mentoring and individual and group coaching sessions.

"Leveraging intersectoral data is crucial for uncovering challenges and opportunities, enabling organizations to fully harness the potential of a diversifying workforce, as shown by responses to the 'Changing Face of Canada’s Workforce Study.'" - John Stevenson, Founding Principal, CulturaliQ.

“Reports come out regularly calling out the lack of diversity in the business community and our broader society in general, but rarely are they followed up with concrete actions that help make a dent removing systemic inequity,” adds Dhillon. “We’re collaborating with visionaries like leaders at the TTC and Sephora to unlock the potential of BIPOC women. Given the rapidly changing face of Canada’s population, this is a win for all of us.”

Media Contact:
Andrea Chrysanthou, APR
Amplify
info@amplifyonline.ca
416-797-8194