National Adult Literacy Database

The authors of this report point out that Canada’s Aboriginal population is the fastest growing segment of the country’s population and has a key role to play in helping Canada meet its future labour market needs. However, the labour market participation of the Aboriginal population lags behind that of the non-Aboriginal population.

While many Canadian businesses would like to engage with Aboriginal workers, they face challenges in attracting, hiring, and retaining Aboriginal workers.

The authors present a number of strategies that can help the situation, including improvements in the educational outcomes of the Aboriginal population; promotion of better understanding of the Aboriginal population among the non-Aboriginal population; simplification of points of contact between Aboriginal organizations and employers; and increased opportunities for the sharing of best practices among Aboriginal employment organizations.

The report was published by the Conference Board of Canada, a not-for-profit organization that researches and analyzes economic trends and public policy issues.