Employment equity resources and tools
On this page
- List of abbreviations
- Getting familiar with employment equity
- Understanding key employer obligations
- Employer audits: Role of the Canadian Human Rights Commission
- Employment equity annual reports
- Equi'Vision: an employment equity tool
- Effective and promising practices in employment equity
- Comparing elements of federal pay gap reporting and pay equity
- Employer reporting tools and resources
- Workforce data templates
This page includes many resources to help federally regulated employers and contractors fulfill their obligations under:
- the Employment Equity Act, and
- the Federal Contractors Program (FCP)
List of abbreviations
- CHRC
- Canadian Human Rights Commission
- FCP
- Federal Contractors Program
- LEEP
- Legislated Employment Equity Program
- NOC
- National Occupational Classification
- WEIMS
- Workplace Equity Information Management System
Getting familiar with employment equity
General information
About the Workplace Equity Program - General information on the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP). This is a good starting point to understand the program.
Legal framework
Access the Employment Equity Act (the Act) and Employment Equity Regulations (the Regulations)
The Act and Regulations for employment equity contain the legal requirements related to reporting under the Act, along with understanding employer obligations.
Understanding key employer obligations
The Act and Regulations require several obligations of employers.
The following provides a summary of the key obligations. Greater detail on these obligations are provided in the Interpretations, Policies and Guidelines (IPGs) for Workplace Equity.
- Every organization under the Act, must submit an annual report. The deadline to submit the report is on or before June 1. The report must include prescribed information collected as of December 31 of the preceding calendar year
- For example, reports due on June 1, 2024, must include data collected between January 1 and December 31 of 2023
- Employers must conduct a workforce survey. To do so, they must provide each employee with a self-identification questionnaire (see Employment Equity Regulations - Collection of Workforce Information - IPG-111)
- Employers must analyze their workforce to determine any underrepresentation of members of designated groups (see Employment Equity Regulations - Workforce Analysis - IPG-112)
- Employers must base this analysis on the workforce information collected and then use it for their employment systems review (see Employment Equity Regulations - Employment Systems Review - IPG-113)
- Employers must report their workforce representation information for each designated group overall, by geographic location, for each occupational group and by employment status (i.e. permanent full-time, permanent part-time, and temporary)
- Employers must report salary ranges and pay gap information using specific salary information (see Employment Equity Regulations - Reporting salary - IPG-107). As well, specific payments and benefits must be included in the annual submission (see Employment Equity Regulations - Definitions and interpretations for reporting salary - IPG-106)
- Employers are required to keep Records of their employment equity data for specified periods of time (see Employment Equity Regulations - Records - IPG-116)
- Employers must prepare, implement and revise an employment equity plan (see Employment Equity Act - Employment Equity Plan - IPG-114). Employers must make all reasonable efforts to implement their employment equity plan, including setting a timetable with associated activities
- Employers must communicate, consult and collaborate with employees (see Employment Equity Regulations - Communication, Consultation, Collaboration - IPG-115)
- In addition, employers may be subject to monetary penalties in relation to designated violations of the Employment Equity Act (see Employment Equity Act - Monetary Penalties - IPG-121)
Employer audits: Role of the Canadian Human Rights Commission
Under employment equity, the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) is accountable for auditing employers on their efforts in meeting their employment equity obligations. The CHRC uses two different types of audits. In 2018, they adopted a horizontal or issue-based audit approach with the goal of better understanding where and why the 4 designated groups still face barriers to equitable representation.
A horizontal audit examines an issue across many employers in a sector and it can focus on a persistent representation gap in relation to one designated group. A horizontal audit also assesses a particular employer's compliance with the Act. Horizontal audits are published by the CHRC and share best practices, successful special measures, and report on key findings including common systemic barriers and solutions.
The second type of audit is called employer specific audits. These audits look at whether the employer meets the requirements of the Act. Employer specific audits focus on employers that have never been audited and have persistent gaps in representation.
The CHRC has also started to pilot a third type of audit called the Pilot Blitz Audit. This audit looks at two requirements of the Act: collection of workforce information and workforce analysis. The focus of these audits is on private-sector employers with less than 300 employees.
Additional information on the CHRC and the audit process can be found on the Canadian Human Rights Commission website.
Employment equity annual reports
Under the Employment Equity Act, the Minister of Jobs and Families must prepare an annual report on the status of employment equity in the federally regulated private sector. The reports are tabled in Parliament.
The Annual Reports can be helpful in identifying how an individual organization's progress compares to the federally regulated private sector as a whole or within each of the four main industrial sectors (banking and financial services; communications; transportation; and, 'other').
Equi'Vision: An Employment Equity Tool
The representation rates and pay gap data of LEEP employers is publicly available online on the Government of Canada's website - Equi'Vision. This site provides comparable data on the representation rates and pay gaps of designated groups. It is presented by individual employer, for all private-sector employers under the Employment Equity Act. This places Canada as the first country to make this information for the 4 designated groups publicly available.
On Equi'Vision, the public may view and interact with employer representation and pay gap data online. They can also compare data with other employers.
Effective and promising practices in employment equity
Identifying and leveraging effective and promising practices is an important area for employers to consider. Employers often learn from each other about practices that reduce barriers. Often, an effective practice may be specific to a designated group or to removing a barrier in a particular industry or sector. For example, many employers engage in outreach with external organizations that represent people from designated groups. As well, employers often develop partnerships, or use external resources, to assist with implementing their initiatives.
How to improve workplace equity
The How to improve workplace equity (PDF, 452 KB) document provides evidence-based actions for employers to take. It outlines effective actions, promising practices, and actions to avoid or consider with caution. We recommend you review this document.
Taking action on your employment equity data
The Taking action on your employment equity data (PDF, 1.01 MB) document provides information and practical advice on how to interpret and act on your pay gap data.
A roadmap for developing special measures
The Canadian Human Rights Commission provides a roadmap for developing and implementing special measures for designated groups.
Comparing elements of federal pay gap reporting and pay equity
Pay gap reporting under the Employment Equity Act and proactive pay equity under the Pay Equity Act, are legislative measures that target pay gaps among federally regulated employers. These legislative measures are independent from each other and differ in how they are applied, administered, and enforced.
Pay gap reporting involves the reporting and publication of pay gaps experienced by the 4 groups currently designated under the Employment Equity Act:
- women
- Indigenous peoples
- persons with disabilities
- members of visible minorities
Proactive pay equity under the Pay Equity Act addresses the gender pay gap by ensuring that employers are providing equal pay to men and women doing work of equal value.
See table below to compare the requirements and administration of pay gap reporting and pay equity:
| Elements | Pay gap reporting | Pay equity |
|---|---|---|
| Legislation | Employment Equity Act | Pay Equity Act |
| Employers | Federally regulated private-sector employers with 100+ employees Federally regulated private-sector industries include:
|
Federally regulated public and private sector employers with an average of 10+ employees Employers subject to pay equity requirements include:
|
| Workforce | Applies to over 560 employers, employing approximately 809,000 employees | Applies to about 5,000 employers, employing 1.4 million workers |
| Purpose | Achieve equality in the workplace for the groups designated under the Act:
Identify and address pay gaps experienced by the 4 designated groups |
Identify and correct systemic gender-based discrimination Equal pay for work of equal value |
| Employer obligations | Employers must report pay gaps that affect the 4 designated groups:
Employers should identify and eliminate employment barriers that are causing pay gaps |
Employers proactively examine their compensation practices and:
|
| Reporting frequency | Send annual reporting to the Minister responsible for Labour | Send annual statements to Pay Equity Commissioner |
| Visibility of results | External: employer-level data published online | Internal: pay equity plans for internal use |
| Compliance and enforcement | Labour Program, for annual employment equity reporting Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), for non-reporting obligations |
Pay Equity Commissioner (CHRC), for plans and annual statements |
| Additional resources |
Additional information on pay equity
These links provide additional information about pay equity:
- Equality and inclusion in federally regulated industries and workplaces provides a summary of both employment equity and pay equity
- Overview of the Pay Equity Act
- The About pay equity page on the CHRC website provides other tools and resources related to pay equity
Employer reporting tools and resources
The Workplace Equity Information Management System (WEIMS)
WEIMS is an online application that assists employers in:
- submitting their annual employment equity formsFootnote 1 for the Legislated Employment Equity Program (LEEP)
- fulfilling their obligations under the Federal Contractors Program (FCP)
On the WEIMS login page you will find the:
- Authorization Form to Access the Workplace Equity Information Management System
- Terms and Conditions of WEIMS Usage
- an explanation of your obligations as an employer and user of WEIMS
- WEIMS Privacy Notice
- Unauthorized use of WEIMS statement
To access WEIMS, please send an email to the Labour Program at ee-eme@servicecanada.gc.ca
WEIMS tools and resources
The WEIMS Tools and Resources page is specifically for employers. It includes guides and information like:
- Employment Equity Tasks
- WEIMS User Guide
- Employer webinars and workshops
- Onboarding guides for LEEP and FCP
- and more
Employment Equity Tasks
This Employment Equity Tasks is a valuable resource found in WEIMS and provides a step-by-step approach for employers to follow in meeting their employment equity obligations.
Interpretations, Policies and Guidelines (IPGs)
The Workplace Equity Interpretations, Policies and Guidelines (IPGs) are specific to the Act and Regulations. They provide detailed and technical explanations to support employers in meeting all employment equity obligations.
Self-identification resources for employers
To implement employment equity, employers must collect data about their workforce. This allows employers to determine which employees self-identified as members of one or more of the designated groups - women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities. Employers use this data to identify representation gaps and meet their employment equity obligations.
The following resources are designed to help Canadian employers collect accurate self-identification information from their employees to support employment equity. They are also intended to encourage and support effective engagement with employee representatives. Good data and active involvement are critical to creating a more equitable, inclusive, and productive workplace.
- The guide for Collecting employee self-identification data provides guidance and tools for conducting self-identification campaigns
- The Workforce survey template provides guidance and a template to employers on the collection of employee self-identification data for employment equity
- The guide for Supporting employee resource groups provides guidance to employers in fostering the development of and providing support for employee resource groups in their workplaces
Sector specific tools and guides
Ground Transportation: Trucking
Guidance has been developed by Trucking HR Canada, a national, non-profit organization, for the benefit of the trucking industry.
- Tools and Guides Specific to the Trucking Industry
- Truck Driver: Pay Categorization Guide
- National Occupational Classification: Mapping Guide
- Narrative Report: Checklists and Best Practices Guide
These guides offer suggestions on appropriate classifications for common types of truck driver pay for reporting purposes. They also provide advice on selecting National Occupational Classification codes specific to jobs in trucking and logistics. In addition, detailed checklists and recommended best practices for reporting on measures and results in annual narrative reports are also included.
For more information, visit Trucking HR Canada's contact page.
Labour Market Information
The Government of Canada provides specific labour market information of the 4 designated groups on the Open Government website. The information is made available for each designated group by employment equity occupational groups and national occupational classification unit groups. This information allows employers subject to the Employment Equity Act to:
- compare the data with their internal workforce, and
- identify any gaps in the representation of the 4 designated groups
Employers can then work to develop realistic goals and timetables for achieving employment equity.
To find the data on the Open Government website, use any combination of the following keywords:
- workforce population
- designated groups
- labour market availability
Workforce data templates
The following templates help employers to obtain more detailed information about their workforce data. Employers can use this information to identify gaps and potential barriers to employment in their workplace.
Salary or Clustering Analysis Template
The Salary or Clustering Analysis Template assists employers in conducting their salary or clustering analysis on the 4 designated groups. It will facilitate the comparison of the designated group members' salary data with other employees working within the same occupational groups. This will also help to determine if there is clustering in the lower salary ranges.
Workforce Analysis Template
The Workforce Analysis Template assists employers in preparing their workforce analysis on the 4 designated groups. The template is made up of five worksheets. The first four worksheets cover each of the designated groups, while the fifth worksheet summarizes the data.