Research summary - Inaccurate reporting by members of designated groups

Official title: Inaccurate Reporting by Members of Designated Groups. Estimates and Solutions among Indigenous Peoples and Persons with Disabilities

Author of report: Sonia Kang (Hirsh/Kang Consulting Inc.)

Why this study

The goal of the Employment Equity Act is to remove barriers that certain groups face at work. The Act covers these 4 groups:

Employers must reflect the diversity of Canadian workers in their workforce.

To do so, employers use information they get from employees who identify as members of these groups.

Employers noticed that not all employees identify as Aboriginal peoples or persons with disabilities when they appear to be members of these groups.

This study sets out a plan to find out why and how often this happens.

What we did

The report covers research on why people might not want to share their identity at work.

The report then looks at different ways to study this problem further.

Finally, it sets out a plan on how to do this research.

What we found

There are many reasons employees might not want to share their identity at work. The report outlines a 4 step plan to further this research:

  1. identify who should participate in the research
  2. work with employers to get a better idea of the size of the problem
  3. ask employees if they identify at work, and why they do or do not
  4. develop and test solutions to this problem

What it means

The report shows how to conduct research into why and how often members of certain groups do not identify at work. Doing this research would improve our understanding of diversity and equality at work.

Contact us

Labour Program, Compliance, Operations and Program Development, Federal Programs, Workplace Equity Division.

Email: ESDC.NC.SSPB.RESEARCH-RECHERCHE.DGPSS.CN.EDSC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Page details

Date modified: