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March 12, 2021LABOUR FORCE SURVEY: VISIBLE MINORITIES, FEBRUARY 2021 Starting with July 2020, Statistics Canada has added a question to the Labour Force Survey asking respondents about whether they identify with visible minority populations. The population group categories of response are the same as those found in the 2016 Census: White, South Asian (e.g., East Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan), Chinese, Black, Filipino, Arab, Latin American, Southeast Asian (e.g., Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai), West Asian (e.g., Iranian, Afghan), Korean, Other.
Labour force characteristics for Indigenous populations are reported separately in the Labour Force Survey.
This analysis will focus on conditions reported by respondents for February 2021. Results are not seasonally adjusted. Unless otherwise indicated, data refer to populations aged 15-69.
Nationally, the unemployment rate of those who identify with a visible minority population (9.8%) was higher than the unemployment rate (8.0%) of those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. Most regions reported higher unemployment rates for those who identify with a visible minority group. The exceptions are Atlantic Canada, where those who identify with a visible minority population report a lower unemployment rate (10.3%) than those who do not identify as Indigenous or part of a visible minority population (11.3% - though this data is of limited quality) as well as Alberta, where the rates are very close. This gap is notably larger in Quebec, where those that identify with a visible minority have an unemployment rate of 11.4% while those who do not dentify as Aboriginal or a visible minority have an unemployment rate of 6.1%.
National participation rates were slightly higher for those who identify with a visible minority population (73.9%) than for those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population (73.6%). This gap is notably wider in Atlantic Canada where those who identify with a visible minority population report an 80.1% participation rate, compared with a 69.2% participation rate for those in the region that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. Participation rates of those who identify with a visible minority population were also higher in Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia.
Nationally, employment rates were lower for those who identified with visible minority populations (66.7%) than for those who did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population (67.8%). In Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan employment rates in the labour force were lower for visible minority populations than for those who do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. Employment rates were higher for those who identify with visible minority populations in Atlantic Canada, Manitoba and British Columbia when compared against those who do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. The rates were very close in Alberta.
Unemployment rates were higher across almost all visible minority populations than for those who did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. The notable exception is among those who identify as Filipino, where unemployment rates were lower than for those that did not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population. (Some of these results have limited data quality and should be used with caution).
Labour force participation rates were higher among men than women across all population groups except for those who identify as Black. The differences were somewhat wider among some visible minority populations.
Where there are with both lower participation and higher unemployment rates, women in many visible minority populations had lower employment rates than men. There are some exceptions, including those who identify as Filipino, Chinese or Black. Among these populations the gap between male and female employment rates is narrower.
Unemployment rates are higher for all age cohorts of visible minority populations, when compared with those that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.
Participation rates of visible minority populations are higher for older workers, compared to the same age cohort that does not identify as Indigenous or visible minority populations. Among youth and core aged workers, participation rates among visible minority populations are lower than among similarly-aged populations that do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.
With lower participation and higher unemployment rates, employment rates are lower for visible minority youth and core aged populations. With stronger participation rates (and despite higher unemployment rates), the employment rate of older visible minority populations is higher than among older Canadians who do not identify as Indigenous or in a visible minority population.
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey, February 2021
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