Practices to Address Employment Inequities Faced by Black Job Seekers and Workers
This post focuses on a few of the employment-related barriers shared by many Black persons, including those who experience disability. We also offer practices for employment service providers and employers that can help to address some of these inequities.
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The more than 1.5 million Black people who live across Canada form very diverse populations with 371 ethnic and cultural origins and approximately 250 languages. Black families have lived in Canada for 400 years and, today, almost 41% are Canadian born. The remainder come from approximately 182 different countries, mainly in Africa and the Caribbean. (1)(2)
The employment experiences of Black people in Canada are just as diverse and can be compounded by their varied identities, including culture, race, disability, gender, age, and education. While we could only cover a few of the employment barriers in this post, we want to acknowledge the great diversity of experiences and the lack of research that fully explores them.
Black People Face Ongoing Employment Inequity
The proportion of Black Canadians with a bachelor’s degree or higher (32.4%) is almost identical to the national average (32.9%). Yet, Black workers face lower earnings and almost twice the unemployment rate compared to the general population and compared to Canadians from other ethnic backgrounds. Black men (6.3%) and black women (4.3%) are also underrepresented in management positions compared to white men (11.3%) and white women (6.9%). (3)
Racial Discrimination and Bias Impact Hiring and Career Progression
Two key areas in the workplace are impacted by racial discrimination and unconscious bias: 1) the hiring process, and 2) workplace integration and career progression.
Studies have shown that Black job applicants face discrimination during hiring, including biases in resume screening and interview selection. One study found that white job applicants received more callbacks than Black applicants, even when both groups had identical resumes. (3)
In the 2023 Black Canadian National Survey, 48% of Black male and 45% of Black female respondents reported experiencing unfair treatment by an employer regarding hiring, pay, or promotion.
Workplace discrimination and microaggressions can contribute to underrepresentation in leadership and to wage disparities. Negative experiences with staff at all levels can lead workers to feeling “on guard” to protect themselves against bias, which takes an emotional toll and can impact engagement and retention. (3)
Credit: Francis Odeyemi – Unsplash
A participant in CASE’s Diversity Works study said that microaggressions associated with her success at work affected her emotional well-being and almost led her to give up her position. (4) In the same study, an employer mentions witnessing very different staff reactions to two employees who had both experienced similar life situations that affected their work. “…the white woman was treated with the utmost respect and compassion. The Black woman was judged… (Staff) were accusatory…”
Intersectionality of Race, Disability, Gender, and Age
During job searches, Black job seekers can struggle with their intersecting identities associated with race, disability, gender, and age. In one study (Grewal et al, 2024), Michael, a Black professional experiencing disability, sought to understand whether his identities influenced his ability to find sustainable work:
“Does it have to do with my disabilities? I don’t know. Does it have to do with my race? I don’t know…. I am trying to figure it out, the problem with having so many intersectionalities. … I feel like they have changed to focus on young people with disabilities.” (5)
Job seekers who identify as Black can also face complicated decisions around disclosure when applying for diversity-focused job postings. Is it safe to disclose both their race and their disability in the application? Is this employer more likely to hire non-disabled, racialized workers, or white workers who experience disability? (4)
A 2023 DAWN Canada study reports that ableism, racism, and discrimination sometimes reinforce each other in the workplace: “These women expressed feeling like managers could use their disability as a justification to either not employ them or maintain them in low-level positions. These experiences reflect how ableism reinforces racist practices: these systems are interconnected.” (6)
Practices to Address Inequities in the Workplace
The following practices were informed by CASE’s Diversity Works project and by the SRDC report, Gaps in active measures programs among Black people in Canada.
The inclusion of Black people and organizations as active participants in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies/procedures, practices, or programs is strongly recommended. Inclusion at all stages ensures relevance and fosters awareness and sustainable outcomes for Black people in employment and training programs and in workplaces.
Employment Services
- Provide program staff with training in intersectionality, anti-oppression, trauma and violence-informed approaches, and cultural competence.
- Understand local resources and supports and establish clear procedures for referrals when a program cannot meet a client’s needs. Partner and work closely with local organizations that have connections with Black people in your community and who understand their unique needs.
- Develop accessible programs tailored to the needs of Black populations and individuals in your community. Include relevant wrap-around supports to reduce barriers, such as financial assistance, transportation subsidies, childcare services, and technology access.
- Develop outreach strategies to engage with employers on cultural competence and inclusive hiring practices to build inclusion confidence and capacity in local workplaces.
Include Black people and organizations in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies/procedures, practices, or programs.
Workplaces
- Help counter systemic discrimination and bias by offering intersectionality and inclusion training to staff at all levels.
- Strengthen leadership’s capacity to model inclusive practices and to have courageous conversations on racism and discrimination.
- Review policies and procedures around hiring using the CASE HR Toolkit.
- Participate in internships, co-ops, or practicums with local educational institutions to support school-to-work transitions.
- Invite your employees to be mentors. Explore mentorship initiatives such as Black Mentorship Inc. and Black Ladders. Mentorships with Black mentors are especially valuable career exploration and advancement tools.
The Black populations are among the youngest in Canada. Children and youth make up 41.9% of the Black populations. Almost three-quarters are younger than 45 (compared with 54.9% of the total population). (7)
As more studies are conducted and more stories are shared, we will expand our knowledge of the unique experiences and barriers faced throughout the employment cycle by Black workers who experience disability.
Helpful Resources
- February is Black History Month. Canadian Heritage. Includes quick facts, Black history in Canada, impact of organizations led by Black women, how to address anti-Black racism, and more.
- Guide to courageous conversations on racism and discrimination. National Defense, Government of Canada. Comprehensive guidelines on how to have workplace conversations around racism and discrimination.
- The Science of Racism (video). Creators for Change. 2018. Facts and stats from research related to racism in the workplace, in education, and in healthcare.
- Developing Intersectional Employment Services. CASE online complimentary course. Explores the employment experiences of job seekers who are BIPOC and experience disability and offers recommendations to improve employment support.
Credit: Desola Lanre Ologun – Unsplash
References
1. Statistic Canada. Black History Month 2025… By the numbers. Accessed February 3, 2025.
2. Statistics Canada. Study: The Sociodemographic Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada. Released October 25, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2025.
3. Arunika Agarwa et al. Gaps in active measures programs among Black people in Canada. SRDC. March 2024. Accessed January 30, 2025. Includes promising program practices to facilitate Black people’s participation in employment and skills programs and a list of programs available in 2024.
4. Canadian Association for Supported Employment in partnership with Centre for Community Based Research. Diversity Works: An Exploration of the Employment Journeys of Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour Who Experience Disability. August 2022. Accessed January 30, 2025.
5. Grewal, Eakam et al. McMaster University. Exploring Intersections of Race and Disability in the context of Canadian Employment Support Systems through the Experiences of Job Seekers/Workers, Employers, and Service Providers. August 2024. 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4921270/v1. (This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.) Accessed January 31, 2025.
6. DAWN Canada. An Intersectional Analysis of the Employment Journey of Women and Gender-Diverse People with Episodic Disabilities. October 19, 2023. Accessed January 30, 2025.
7. Statistics Canada. The Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada, 2021: A Sociodemographic Portrait. Released October 25, 2024. Accessed February 4, 2025.