Employment Equity Annual Report 2018 - 2019

1 Introduction

As required under the Employment Equity Act, the NRC reports annually on its progress towards achieving a representative workforce.

The annual report includes workforce analysis of employment equity (EE) designated groups - women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities by EE occupational group, geographic region, salary range, as well as share of hires, promotions and terminations.

The workforce data in this report includes indeterminate employees and employees with terms of 3 months or more. The report does not include data on students, employees on secondment from other organizations, terms less than 3 months, or visiting workers.

The report also outlines the NRC's progress in implementing its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, as well as mechanisms in place to consult employees with respect to employment equity issues.

Note: at the NRC, data pertaining to the representation of women in our workforce is collected from information provided by new employees at the time of hire. Data on the representation of the other designated groups is collected via a self-identification survey.

In order to adhere to confidentiality rules related to self-identification information, all statistics that include 5 employees or less are suppressed from this report. Data on women does not come from the self-identification process and is therefore not subject to the same restrictions.

2 Workforce analysis

As of March 31, 2019, the NRC employed a staff of 3,970 in 12 EE Occupational Groups (EEOG), an increase of 58 employees compared to the 3,912 employees reported the previous reporting period.

Labour market availability (LMA) estimates for fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 are based on the 2016 National Household Survey (Census) and the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability results. The national LMA remained relatively unchanged for women, while availability for the remaining 3 groups has increased. As this is the first year applying these new benchmarks, there are limitations in comparing directly with the previous year's results, which used the former 2011 and 2012 benchmarks.

2.1 Designated group representation – FY 2018-19 comparison to FY 2017-18

Designated Group 2017-18 (2011 LMATable 1 note 1) 2018-19 (2011 LMATable 1 note 1) 2018-19 (2016 LMATable 1 note 2)
LMATable 1 note 1 NRC Rep. Result Gap LMATable 1 note 1 NRC Rep. Result Gap LMATable 1 note 2 NRC Rep. Result Gap
Women 36.6% 36.0% 98.4% -22 36.6% 36.5% 99.7% 0 37.0% 36.5% 98.7% -21
Aboriginal peoples 2.0% 0.9% 45.0% -42 2.0% 0.8% 40.0% -46 2.2% 0.8% 36.4% -54
Persons with disabilities 4.2% 1.9% 45.2% -88 4.2% 2.0% 47.6% -87 8.5% 2.0% 23.5% -258
Visible minorities 20.1% 16.9% 84.1% -123 20.1% 18.1% 90.0% -80 23.0% 18.1% 78.7% -195

Note: results using 2011 and 2012 benchmarks have been included for comparison purposes to demonstrate progress achieved prior to the application of the new benchmarks.  

As of March 31, 2019, the NRC had representation gaps for each of the 4 EE designated groups.

Prior to the application of the new LMA data, the NRC had made progress in representation for women, persons with disabilities and visible minorities with a decline in representation for Aboriginal peoples. Reviewing results based on the updated LMA, the representation for women in the NRC's workforce remained steady at 98.7%, while regression is noted in the remaining 3 designated groups. For Aboriginal peoples, the representation as a percentage of the LMA at the end of FY 2018-19 was 36.4%. For persons with disabilities, the representation as a percentage of the LMA was 23.5%, and for visible minorities, the representation as a percentage of the LMA was 78.7%.

In terms of headcount, the NRC gap for women was -21, the gap for Aboriginal peoples was -54, the gap for persons with disabilities was -258, and the gap for visible minorities was -195.

2.2 Representation of designated groups by EE occupational group: FY 2018-19

EE Occupational Group Workforce Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
Total # % # % # % # %
Senior Managers 35 12 34.3 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Middle and Other Managers 238 98 41.2 ± ± ± ± 17 7.1
Professionals 1,994 570 28.6 16 0.8 33 1.7 457 22.9
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 988 316 32 6 0.6 17 1.7 164 16.6
Supervisors Clerical 21 14 66.7 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 39 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 401 337 84 7 1.7 14 3.5 51 12.7
Skilled Crafts and Trades 97 1 1 ± ± ± ± 6 6.2
Clerical Personnel 133 99 74.4 ± ± ± ± 15 11.3
Intermediate Sales and Service 4 2 50 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 5 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Other Manual Workers 15 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Total Workforce 3,970 1,449 36.5 33 0.8 80 2.0 718 18.1
Labour Market AvailabilityTable 2 note 1 1,470 37.0 87 2.2 338 8.5 913 23.0
Gap -21   -54   -258   -195  

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

As noted in table 2.2, the Professionals group constitutes the largest EEOG at the NRC, comprising 50.2% of the workforce. The Semi-Professionals and Technicians group follows at 24.9%; Administrative and Senior Clerical Personnel at 10.1%; Middle and Other Managers at 5.9%; Clerical Personnel at 3.4%; and Skilled Crafts and Trades Workers at 2.4% of the workforce. Other smaller EEOGs, such as Semi-skilled Manual Workers, account for the remainder of the NRC population.

The data and supporting narrative that follow in tables 2.3 through 2.6 denote the NRC's findings and analysis for each EE designated group at the EEOG level as of March 31, 2019, as well as their respective number of hires, promotions and terminations during FY 2018-19.

2.3 Women: hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 3 note 1 Difference
# # % # % #
Senior Managers 35 12 34.3 10 27.6 2
Middle and Other Managers 238 98 41.2 89 37.4 9
Professionals 1,994 570 28.6 651 32.6 -81
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 988 316 32.0 296 30.0 20
Supervisors Clerical 21 14 66.7 11 52.3 3
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 39 0 0 4 9.4 -4
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 401 337 84.0 314 78.3 23
Skilled Crafts and Trades 97 1 1.0 2 1.7 -1
Clerical Personnel 133 99 74.4 88 66.1 11
Intermediate Sales and Service 4 2 50.0 3 62.8 -1
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 5 0 0 1 11.8 -1
Other Manual Workers 15 0 0 2 15.4 -2
Total workforce 3,970 1,449 36.5 1,470 37.0 -21
Women: hires, promotions and terminations NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 3 note 2 Difference
# # % # % #
Year 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019
Hires 386 456 142 207 36.8 45.4 153 178 39.6 39.1 -11 29
Promotions 205 250 86 105 42.0 42.0 79 92 38.5 36.8 7 13
Terminations 404 417 176 180 43.6 43.2 176 176 43.6 42.2 0 4
  • In FY 2018-19, the NRC's representation of women was 36.5%, slightly below the LMA of 37.0%, equating to a representation gap of -21 women.
  • When reviewing the data by EEOG, the largest representation gap in terms of headcount is in the Professionals group at -81 women, while women are over-represented in the Administrative and Senior Clerical group (+23) and the Semi-Professionals and Technicians group (+20).
  • The proportion of hires of women increased 8.6% from the previous fiscal year to 45.4% in FY 2018-19, and was higher than the LMA estimate of 39.1%.
  • At 42%, the proportion of promotion of women remained the same in FY 2018-19 as in FY 2017-18, again higher than the LMA estimate of 36.8%. Compared to availability, promotions of women surpassed their proportionate share of promotions by 13.
  • In FY 2018-19, 180 women departed from the NRC, representing 43.2% of all terminations, only marginally above current availability estimates.
  • While the NRC hired women at rates higher than the LMA estimates, and departures were equivalent to availability estimates, the gap for women increased very slightly during the fiscal year. This is primarily due to minimal increase in the LMA for women in the NRC workforce from 36.6% in FY 2017-18 to 37.0% in FY 2018-19. While the national LMA did not change from 2011, the NRC's LMA estimates shift over time due to changes in NRC positions.

2.4 Aboriginal peoples: hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 4 note 1 Difference
# # % # % #
Senior Managers 35 ± ± 1 3.2 ±
Middle and Other Managers 238 ± ± 6 2.7 ±
Professionals 1,994 16 0.8 26 1.3 -10
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 988 6 0.6 30 3.0 -24
Supervisors Clerical 21 ± ± 1 3.2 ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 39 ± ± 1 3.8 ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 401 7 1.7 13 3.1 -6
Skilled Crafts and Trades 97 ± ± 2 2.4 ±
Clerical Personnel 133 ± ± 5 3.7 ±
Intermediate Sales and Service 4 ± ± 0 3.1 ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 5 ± ± 0 3.7 ±
Other Manual Workers 15 ± ± 1 6.4 ±
Total workforce 3,970 33 0.8 87 2.2 -54
Aboriginal peoples: hires, promotions and terminations NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 4 note 2 Difference
# # % # % #
Year 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019
Hires 386 456 ± 6 ± 1.3 8 10 2.2 2.1 ± -4
Promotions 205 250 ± ± ± ± 4 5 2.0 2.0 ± ±
Terminations 404 417 ± 8 ± 1.9 9 9 2.2 2.3 ± -1

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

  • On March 31, 2019, the NRC employed 33 Aboriginal peoples, a gap of -54 based on the LMA estimate of 87.
  • Aboriginal peoples are most under-represented in the Semi-Professionals and Technicians group with a gap of -24, followed by the Professionals group with a gap of -10.
  • At 1.3%, the proportion of Aboriginal peoples hired during the reporting period increased in the previous fiscal year, and was lower than availability at 2.1%.
  • The proportion of promotions of Aboriginal peoples during the reporting period decreased from last fiscal year.
  • There was an increase in the proportion of terminations of Aboriginal peoples, from last fiscal year to 1.9% this fiscal year which remains lower than availability at 2.3%.

2.5 Persons with disabilities: hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 5 note 1 Difference
# # % # % #
Senior Managers 35 ± ± 2 5.0 ±
Middle and Other Managers 238 ± ± 12 5.0 ±
Professionals 1,994 33 1.7 177 8.9 -144
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 988 17 1.7 75 7.6 -58
Supervisors Clerical 21 ± ± 6 27.5 ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 39 ± ± 4 10.1 ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 401 14 3.5 40 10.0 -26
Skilled Crafts and Trades 97 ± ± 8 7.8 ±
Clerical Personnel 133 ± ± 12 9.3 ±
Intermediate Sales and Service 4 ± ± 0 10.8 ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 5 ± ± 1 10.3 ±
Other Manual Workers 15 ± ± 1 6.8 ±
Total workforce 3,970 80 2.0 338 8.5 -258
Persons with disabilities: hires, promotions and terminations NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 5 note 2 Difference
# # % # % #
Year 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019
Hires 386 456 ± 10 ± 2.2 16 25 4.2 5.5 ± -15
Promotions 205 250 ± 6 ± 2.4 8 14 4.0 5.4 ± -8
Terminations 404 417 12 10 3.0 2.4 17 22 4.3 5.4 -5 -12

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

  • On March 31, 2019, persons with disabilities accounted for 2.0% of the NRC workforce, compared to the LMA of 8.5%, resulting in a representation gap of -258.
  • The largest gaps are seen in the Professionals EEOG at -144 and the Semi-Professionals and Technicians group at -58.
  • In FY 2018-19, while there was an increase in the proportion of hires of persons with disabilities at 2.2% compared to the previous reporting period, hiring still fell short of the LMA of 5.5%.
  • The proportion of total promotions of persons with disabilities in FY 2018-19 was 2.4%, lower than the LMA estimate of 5.4%, and equating to a gap of -8 promotions.
  • Terminations of persons with disabilities decreased slightly compared to the last reporting period, from 3.0% to 2.4%, lower than this group's proportionate share at 5.4%.

2.6 Visible minorities: hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 6 note 1 Difference
# # % # % #
Senior Managers 35 ± ± 4 11.5 ±
Middle and Other Managers 238 17 7.1 37 15.6 -20
Professionals 1,994 457 22.9 559 28.1 -102
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 988 164 16.6 213 21.5 -49
Supervisors Clerical 21 ± ± 4 16.7 ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 39 ± ± 3 8.7 ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 401 51 12.7 60 15.0 -9
Skilled Crafts and Trades 97 6 6.2 5 5.4 1
Clerical Personnel 133 15 11.3 23 17.3 -8
Intermediate Sales and Service 4 ± ± 1 25.9 ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 5 ± ± 1 20.4 ±
Other Manual Workers 15 ± ± 3 18.7 ±
Total workforce 3,970 718 18.1 913 23.0 -195
Visible minorities: hires, promotions and terminations NRC Total Representation AvailabilityTable 6 note 2 Difference
# # % # % #
Year 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019 2018 2019
Hires 386 456 45 95 11.7 20.8 74 91 19.3 19.9 -29 4
Promotions 205 250 51 44 24.9 17.6 39 53 19.2 21.3 12 -9
Terminations 404 417 44 55 10.9 13.2 75 78 18.5 18.7 -31 -23

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

  • The NRC's visible minority population represents 18.1% of the workforce, below the availability of 23%, and equating to a representation gap of -195.
  • The representation gap for visible minorities is greatest in the Professionals group at -102, followed by the Semi-Professionals and Technicians group at -49 and Middle and Other Managers group at -20.
  • Visible minorities were hired at rates greater than the LMA estimate during the reporting period – the proportion of hires was 20.8% compared to an availability of 19.9%, representing a headcount difference of +4.
  • The proportion of promotions of visible minorities was 17.6% in FY 2018-19, a decrease from 24.9% in the last reporting period.
  • Terminations of visible minorities accounted for 13.2% of all terminations in FY 2018-19, lower than this group's proportionate share of terminations at 18.7%.

2.7 Hires of designated groups by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
# # % # % # % # %
Senior Managers 4 1 25.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Middle and Other Managers 35 16 45.7 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Professionals 181 74 40.9 ± ± ± ± 48 26.5
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 118 35 29.7 ± ± ± ± 25 21.2
Supervisors Clerical 1 1 100.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 3 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 66 54 81.8 ± ± ± ± 8 12.1
Skilled Crafts and Trades 7 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Clerical Personnel 35 26 74.3 ± ± ± ± 8 22.9
Intermediate Sales and Service 1 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 1 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Other Manual Workers 4 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Total hires 456 207 45.4 6 1.3% 10 2.2 95 20.8

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

2.8 Promotions of designated groups by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
# # % # % # % # %
Senior Managers 6 2 33.3 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Middle and Other Managers 31 17 54.8 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Professionals 130 46 35.4 ± ± ± ± 26 20.0
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 42 7 16.7 ± ± ± ± 8 19.0
Supervisors Clerical 2 2 100.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 3 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 32 29 90.6 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Skilled Crafts and Trades 0 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Clerical Personnel 3 2 66.7 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Intermediate Sales and Service 0 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 0 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Other Manual Workers 1 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Total promotions 250 105 42.0 ± ± 6 2.4 44 17.6

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

2.9 Terminations of designated groups by EE occupational group

EE Occupational Group NRC Total Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
# # % # % # % # %
Senior Managers 7 1 14.3 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Middle and Other Managers 41 15 36.6 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Professionals 162 57 35.2 ± ± ± ± 30 18.5
Semi-Prof. and Technicians 105 37 35.2 ± ± ± ± 13 12.4
Supervisors Clerical 2 2 100.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Supervisors Crafts and Trades 6 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Admin. and Senior Clerical Personnel 57 48 84.2 ± ± ± ± 8 14.0
Skilled Crafts and Trades 6 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Clerical Personnel 26 18 69.2 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Intermediate Sales and Service 2 2 100.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Semi-skilled Manual Workers 2 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Other Manual Workers 1 0 0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Total terminations 417 180 43.2 8 1.9 10 2.4 55 13.2

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

2.10 Representation of designated groups by geography

Geography NRC Total Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
# # % # % # % # %
Alberta 110 36 32.7 ± ± ± ± 29 26.4
British Columbia 282 71 25.2 ± ± ± ± 71 25.2
Manitoba 44 17 38.6 ± ± ± ± 8 18.2
New Brunswick 41 14 34.1 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Newfoundland 102 15 14.7 ± ± ± ± 7 6.9
Nova Scotia 112 54 48.2 ± ± ± ± 13 11.6
Ontario 2,477 907 36.6 18 0.7 62 2.5 453 18.3
Prince Edward Island 25 12 48.0 ± ± ± ± ± ±
Quebec 654 260 39.8 ± ± 6 0.9 103 15.7
Saskatchewan 123 63 51.2 ± ± ± ± 28 22.8
Total workforce 3,970 1,449 36.5 33 0.8 80 2.0 718 18.1

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

2.11 Representation of designated groups by salary range

Salary bands NRC Total Women Aboriginal peoples Persons with disabilities Visible minorities
# # % # % # % # %
$30,000-$39,999 3 2 66.7 ± ± ± ± ± ±
$40,000-$49,999 69 43 62.3 ± ± ± ± 9 13.0
$50,000-$59,999 257 177 68.9 ± ± 7 2.7 35 13.6
$60,000-$69,999 381 233 61.2 7 1.8 12 3.1 48 12.6
$70,000-$79,999 581 222 38.2 ± ± 9 1.5 89 15.3
$80,000-$89,999 349 138 39.5 ± ± ± ± 53 15.2
$90,000-$99,999 618 210 34.0 ± ± 13 2.1 114 18.4
$100,000+ 1,712 424 24.8 14 0.8 30 1.8 370 21.6
Total workforce 3,970 1,449 36.5 33 0.8 80 2.0 718 18.1

± Small numbers are suppressed to protect confidentiality of information.

3 Progress in implementing employment equity action plans

Over the course of fiscal year 2018-19, the NRC undertook a renewed focus on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), including the development of a new 3-year EDI strategy, which incorporated and built upon the NRC's preceding Diversity and EE Action Plan 2016-19 and work previously articulated in a number of separate EE and diversity documentsFootnote 1. Aligned with the Government of Canada's diversity commitments, the NRC EDI Strategy 2018-21 ("the strategy") focusses on building a diverse and representative workforce (incorporating EE measures), ensuring that the NRC's work with clients, partners and entrepreneurs is free from barriers, and contributing to a more inclusive innovation system. The strategy is intended to help position the NRC as an inclusive place to work and engage.

In addition to addressing the NRC's legislative and reporting requirements, the strategy takes into consideration the NRC president's mandate to:

  • reduce barriers to the participation of women researchers and entrepreneurs in the NRC's programs and partnerships
  • increase outreach to diverse groups to help create a more inclusive Canadian innovation system
  • encourage a more diverse NRC through targeted actions to include more women, youth, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities among its researchers

The strategy was developed in consultation with organizational stakeholdersFootnote 2 and includes 3 pillars aimed at building and sustaining:

  • a diverse and representative workforce
  • a barrier-free NRC (including accessible employment and programs)
  • an inclusive culture

These 3 pillars are supported by the foundational elements of clear responsibility, governance and measurement.

Specific actions to help address EE gaps and eliminate barriers for EE designated groups are included in the strategy. The following includes an update on progress made against the strategy during the reporting period.

Diverse and representative workforce

  • Prior to the application of the 2016 Census and 2017 Canadian Survey on Disabilities data, the NRC made improvements in representation at the organizational level for women, persons with disabilities, and visible minorities during the reporting period.
  • Representation targets were developed (pending approval early in FY 2019‑20) to meet or exceed representation for each of the 4 employment equity groups, as well as specific Employment Equity Occupational Groups (EEOGs) within the next 3 years (Note: these targets will be adjusted in 2019‑2020 based on the application of the new LMA data).
  • Target EEOGs and relevant job titles were identified and communicated to increase organizational awareness of specific areas where the NRC faces representation gaps, to improve focussed hiring activities going forward.
  • As part of the NRC's annual workforce planning process, business units were once again asked to consider the NRC's EE gaps and goals when identifying staffing needs and considering hiring strategies such as giving preference to candidates that self-declare as belonging to one or more EE groups; and advertising with EE-relevant groups and associations to increase candidate pool.
  • The NRC took steps to enhance talent attraction activities for designated groups. A compendium of EDI oriented groups was developed to assist in reaching more diverse candidates (implemented in FY 2019‑20). A partnership was established with Indigenous Link, a career service dedicated to supporting Indigenous job seekers, in order to support the NRC's efforts to recruit and retain Indigenous peoples. Various jobs were posted on the Indigenous Link job site and also sent via mail to many indigenous communities across Canada. The NRC worked with Career and Vocational Evaluations (CVE), an organization that assists persons with disabilities to gain meaningful work experience. During the reporting period, opportunities were identified within the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) with candidates hired early in FY 2019‑20.
  • To increase accuracy of self-identification (self-ID) data internally, an online employee self-ID portal was developed to replace paper-based self-ID surveys (portal and supporting campaign launched in FY 2019‑20).
  • To help build a diverse talent pipeline, the NRC continued a student hiring approach implemented in 2017-18 whereby the provision of student applications to hiring managers was restricted to candidates that had self-identified as belonging to one of the 4 EE designated groups. The broader candidate database could only be accessed if hiring managers were unable to fill their placement with a member of an EE designated group. Of the 393 students hired during 2018‑2019, 41% were women, 3.3% identified as persons with disabilities and 42.5% identified as visible minorities and less than 1% identified as Aboriginal peoples. This initiative continued to provide the NRC management community with broad exposure to using preference in hiring actions to help increase representation.
  • EDI has been integrated into the NRC's new Leadership Development Framework, developed and approved during the reporting period. The framework to be implemented over 3 years includes activities such as the development of competency in fostering diversity and inclusion as well as the consideration of representation when identifying high potential employees and selecting participants for leadership development programs.

A barrier-free NRC

  • Continued progress was made this reporting period to action recommendations to improve the recruitment and retention of women at the NRC. A representative committee, co-led by the champions of EDI and women at the NRC, established working groups to make progress in a number of areas. Activities that occurred during this reporting period included:
    • continued partnering with Engendering Success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) on a research project focussed on Realizing Identity Safe Environments, also known as Project RISE. The goal of Project RISE is to better understand the biases faced by women in STEM and how best to create an inclusive and identity safe culture within the workplace. The first step in Project RISE was the completion of a Workplace Culture Survey which gathered data from over 1,200 STEM professionals from 9 organizations. Over 40% of participants came from the NRC. The results of the survey were made available this reporting period. The next phase will include a series of workshops to be held in FY 2019‑20.
    • establishing a professional community of women and fostering outreach activities to educational establishments, societies and other related organizations. A number of events were held during the reporting period including Women in STEM luncheons and panel events such as an event held in December 2017 on Recent Developments in Supporting Women in Research Centres.
    • work continued toward a mentoring approach for women in research and technical positions.
  • The NRC continues its efforts to improve accessibility. Updates to the NRC's Barrier-Free Access Management Plan (for buildings and facilities) to align with current standards were made during the reporting period (continuing in to FY 2019‑20). To support individual accommodations, the NRC implemented a service-level agreement in place with the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) program to provide assistance in activities such as assessment of technology to meet user needs.
  • The NRC continued to implement the Gender Based Analysis (GBA+) framework during the reporting period. GBA+ is an analytical process which considers how diverse groups may experience policies, programs and initiatives, in order to challenge assumptions and identify potential impacts. The intent is to use the framework to help ensure an inclusive approach from ideation through to outcome measurement. The NRC uses GBA+ in cabinet documents such as Treasury Board submissions. GBA+ is part of our broader EDI framework and helps ensure that the NRC contributes to a more inclusive innovation system.
  • NRC IRAP has led work to increase participation and address barriers for underrepresented entrepreneurs. In June of 2018, IRAP expanded its Terms and Conditions for funded support to include additional types of eligible firms and organizations.  IRAP is now able to provide funding for Indigenous-led not-for-profits and Indigenous organizations including: First Nations as represented by their Chief and Council, Tribal Councils, Indigenous Representative Organizations, Métis and Inuit organizations, and Settlements as well as Indigenous/First Nation/Métis Settlement wholly-owned businesses.  This change to IRAP's funding model allows for expanded support for Indigenous innovation.

Inclusive culture

  • Building on the mandatory "Diversity and Inclusion Fundamentals" course launched at the end of the previous reporting period, 2 additional mandatory training courses were launched in October 2018 including the "Unconscious Bias" course for all employees and the "Managing Bias in Hiring" course for all supervisors. As of March 31, 2019, 73% of supervisors completed "Managing Bias in Hiring;" 82% of employees completed "Unconscious Bias" and 86% completed "Diversity and Inclusion Fundamentals."
  • To improve diversity awareness and communication, a calendar of EDI learning events and commemorative days was established. Events promoted during the reporting period included Canadian Multiculturalism Day, Black History Month, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, National Indigenous Peoples Day, and Asian Heritage Month. Additionally, diversity and inclusion learning events offered by the Canada School of Public Service are promoted on an ongoing basis.
  • A number of EDI-focussed communications have been conducted both internally and externally, including sharing success stories as part of the NRC's Women in STEM online campaign and on social media.
  • Continued efforts have been made to increase diversity and representation in organizational workplace committees including the newly created Committee on EDI and the selection committee for the NRC's post-doctoral fellowship program.

Foundational elements

  • During the reporting period, the NRC implemented a new governance model for EDI with the vice president of Human Resources established as champion and assigned accountability for the NRC's EDI efforts. In addition, a senior-level steering committee consisting of vice presidents (VPs) was established to help coordinate the NRC's EDI efforts. The committee includes VPs who are responsible for elements of EDI such as GBA+, building accessibility, and EDI in relation to the NRC's programs. Working-level leads were also identified across the organization.
  • A renewed Committee on EDI (CEDI) was launched this reporting period. Following a call for interest, a diverse cross-section of NRC employees formed the inaugural committee and met for the first time in February 2019. The committee provided input on the EDI strategy as well as other activities currently underway to improve workforce representation and to foster an inclusive culture.

While this report is focussed on the EE data and efforts of fiscal year 2018-19, it is worth mentioning that the NRC has made notable progress in the first half of 2019‑20. As of September 30, the representation of NRC employees relative to labour market availability for the 4 designated groups was as follows: women 100% (1.3% increase from March 31st); Aboriginal peoples 41% (4.6% increase); persons with disabilities 34% (10.5% increase); and visible minorities 83% (4.3% increase). An intensive self‑ID campaign was undertaken over a period of 4 months when the on-line portal was launched. An additional campaign will unfold in the new year that will promote the updated definitions for persons with disabilities in order to ensure the data for this element of the NRC workforce is as accurate as possible. 

4 Consultations with employees

As noted in the previous section, the NRC launched a new Committee on EDI this reporting period. The committee includes a cross section of NRC employees. During the first meeting in February 2019, the committee provided input on the NRC's overall EDI strategy and activities underway to contribute to a more representative workforce and inclusive work environment.

Last fiscal year, a Women at NRC committee was formed to provide leadership and guidance on the NRC's Recruitment and Retention of Women strategy. This committee includes working groups who actively engaged NRC colleagues in their work throughout this reporting period on topics such as outreach and mentoring. The committee also provided input into the overall NRC EDI strategy.

In addition to considering the input received from CEDI and the Women at NRC committee, the NRC's EDI Strategy was developed with input from those involved in supporting EDI efforts at the working level including human resources practitioners, policy analysts, and responsible vice-presidents. The results of the 2018 Public Service Survey were also considered.  

With respect to the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results, the NRC fared better than the Public Service (PS) as a whole in relation to several questions regarding respectful and inclusive workplace, harassment and discrimination. Specifically:

  • 83% of NRC respondents indicated that the organization treats them with respect, higher than the 2018 PSES result for the overall public service (81%)
  • 80% of NRC respondents reported that they believe that their department or agency respects individual differences, higher than the PS-average of 78%
  • 84% of NRC respondents agreed that, in their work unit, individuals behave in a respectful manner, compared to 81% of respondents PS-wide
  • 9% of NRC respondents indicate that they have been the victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months, lower than the 2018 PSES result for the overall public service (15%)
  • 5% of NRC respondents indicate that they have been the victim of discrimination on the job in the past 12 months, lower than the 2018 PSES results for the overall public service (8%)