The percentage of members of visible minorities in upper managerial positions is lower than that for the general population, despite the fact that they are generally better educated: almost 30% of the visible minority group has some university education or a university degree, compared with fewer than 18% of the rest of the population. Their low representation in managerial positions may be a result of barriers, such as a failure to recognize foreign credentials or discrimination.

A high proportion of aboriginal peoples have poor literacy and numeracy skills, reducing their chances of obtaining stable employment. The grade 12 completion rate for aboriginal peoples is half the rate for non-aboriginal people. This raises the question of access to formal schooling and availability of the necessary support.

People with disabilities face a lack of accessible training and education opportunities. As a result, they are often limited to segregated, low-paying, entry-level positions.

The labour market

Although forecasting in the volatile economic context that Canada is experiencing is highly speculative, it is necessary to consider the future, especially when one is trying to assess the environment for transitions into employment. Most of the material in this section is based on Employment and Immigration Canada's COPS Reference: 1992 Projections.

Trends in employment by industry

In the 1990s, service industries will account for close to 90% of employment growth, while less than 10% will be contributed by manufacturing industries (Figure 11). However, taking into account the effect of the recession in the early part of the decade, the growth of the manufacturing industries (especially durable goods) will have to be slightly larger to include recovery to pre-recession employment levels (subject to employment trends during the recovery period).

Among service industries, prospects for employment will be important in the health and education sectors: demand for health services will increase steadily as a large proportion of the population ages; and a highly competitive job market, along with decreasing emphasis on labour-intensive jobs, will require higher levels of education and training of the existing workforce.