Racial Discrimination Holding Back Young Workers

A new study by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) confirms that the job market discriminates against workers of colour, and more so against young workers who are Canadian-born. Based on data from Statistics Canada's 2001 Census, the study 'Racial Status and Employment Outcomes' states "the fact that Canadian-born workers of colour are doing badly cannot be explained away by reference to lack of Canadian credentials and experience."

The author of the report, Leslie Cheung, a graduate student in public policy at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, writes that "With the young Canadian-born worker of colour population now entering the workforce in large numbers, and the ever-increasing migration of people of colour to Canada, the reality of racism must be confronted from all sectors of society, rather than denied."

"As Canadians, individually and collectively, we must come to grips with harsh realization that every day we are straying further and further away from our goals of equality,", said Hassan Yussuff, secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress about the findings of the study. "Can we predict a strong future built on hope, respect, solidarity and citizenship when racial discrimination prevents workers who are more highly educated than average from finding and keeping steady employment at decent wages?"

The report 'Racial Status and Employment Outcomes' can be downloaded in PDF format from the CLC Web site by clicking here. (106 kb)