The Aboriginal labour force in Western Canada

A s Canada’s labour market tightens, employersare scouring many sources in their searchfor skilled workers. One such source is the Aboriginal population. By the end of 2017, Aborigi-nal people of working age (15 and older) will number close to a million—about 3.4 % of the working-age population overall (Statistics Canada 2005). With an-ticipated shortages in many areas of the labour force, this growing population may constitute an important pool of labour. Aboriginal people have a much younger average age than other Canadians and their educational attainment is generally lower. Geographically, they are concen-trated in remote areas (some reserves and in the North) and in a few urban centres (mostly Western Canadian cities). They are also less likely to be self-employed. All these factors play a major role in their labour market experiences and are critical to understanding both the challenges and opportunities for their future employ-ment growth. Over the coming years, the proportion of Aboriginal people in the young adult population (aged 20 to 29) is projected to grow significantly—more than for the same age group overall. Certain provinces will be par-ticularly affected. For example, in Saskatchewan, the proportion of Aboriginal people in their 20s is expected to almost double—from 17 % of the Aboriginal population in 2001 to 30 % in 2017. Simi-larly, the proportion in Manitoba, also 17 % in 2001, is projected to grow to 23%. These young people offer an enormous potential for increasing Aboriginal peo-ple’s participation in the labour market, especially i