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Curious about the results of the
campus workforce employment equity
survey which wrapped up earlier
this year?
The survey was conducted as part
of the university’s commitment to
equity and diversity and in compliance
with the Federal Contractors
Program for Employment Equity
(FCP). Canadian employers who have
contracts of $200,000 or more with
the federal government are required to
make a commitment to employment
equity and implement 11 criteria set
out by the program.
According to the federal government,
if employment equity is
successfully implemented, barriers
within organizational systems are
removed for all employees, and equitable
representation is achieved in
all occupations, including positions
of authority.
The equity office thanks everyone
who participated in the survey. The
results have now been tallied. Here’s
a brief summary:
Just over 81 per cent of UVic
employees participated in the survey,
which shows a “picture in time”
of the make-up of the university’s
labour force.
As of Sept. 30, 2005, UVic employee
representation in occupational
categories set out by the program (as
a percentage of total employees) is:
female, 54.7 per cent; male, 45.2 per
cent; aboriginal peoples, 1.5 per cent;
people with disabilities, 5.6 per cent;
and visible minorities, 7.8 per cent.
Respondents self-identified as
part of one or more categories. Respondents
could also self-identify as
members of “other minority groups”
that they believe are disadvantaged.
Examples of other groups are people
with a minority sexual orientation,
or those who believe they are disadvantaged
due to age, race, place of
origin, employment history or status
of education.
A total of 427 respondents (16
per cent of returned questionnaires)
added comments to explain their
survey answers. Comments were
grouped into three broad categories:
self-identified group status and issues,
workplace issues, and comments
about the survey process itself.
According to Linda Sproule-Jones,
director of UVic’s equity office, the
composition of the university’s workforce
is more reflective of the diversity
of Canadian labour markets than it
was when the university last reported
to the FCP three years ago. In general,
UVic representation of women and
employees with disabilities is above
the national labour force availability.
“We’ve certainly made progress,
but there’s still work to be done,”
says Sproule-Jones, who is responsible
for reporting the results back to the
government.
For example, while aboriginal
peoples comprise 2.6 per cent of the
Canadian labour force, there are no
aboriginal full-time, part-time or
temporary employees in six out of 14
occupational categories at UVic.
The FCP survey results will be
used to shape policy and employment
systems in line with goals set out in
the university’s strategic plan.
The report can be found on the
equity website at web.uvic.ca/equity.
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