- Shortage of jobs in their geographic area was the primary difficulty faced by people
looking for a job. Apart from this problem, which was shared by all groups, men and
women faced a comparable level of difficulty in getting a job; skills and experience
were most lacking, followed by education and labour market information. Members
of visible minorities and people with disabilities reported difficulties for these three
reasons much more often than men and women in the general population. The way in
which labour market information is communicated -- often through private
networking, rather than public employment services -- may limit access to relevant
information for some groups that are not well integrated into the appropriate
networks. Limited, or more often lack of, recognition of foreign credentials and prior
learning and the difficulty of acquiring relevant experience sharply aggravate the
situation for members of visible minorities and people with disabilities.
- People belonging to the designated groups got jobs paying significantly less than
men: 25% less for women, 21% for people with disabilities, and 18% for members of
visible minorities. Because people in the designated groups have more difficulty
staying employed, lower wages contribute significantly to lowering their overall
earning capacity.
- Individuals in the designated groups more often entered jobs that did not provide a
standard of living above the poverty line (the Statistics Canada's low income
measure). In 1989, 30% of new jobs taken by women generated annual earnings
below this poverty line. This was the case for 26% of new jobs for members of visible
minorities and 28% of the new jobs taken by people with disabilities.
- Overall, only 24% of the new, full-time jobs started in 1989-90 were covered by a
pension plan. Women and people with disabilities were significantly less likely than
others to enter such a job. Members of visible minorities were on par with the
national average in this respect.