Statistics Canada reported at the end of 2021 that the unemployment rate among Indigenous people in the three months ending in August 2021 was 11.6 percent, which was higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 10.3 percent. As the economy gradually recovers from the pandemic, Indigenous people must be reintegrated into the forefront of the labour market. The pandemic has compelled indigenous people to reconsider their employment options and job search strategies.
The pandemic was a time that led to the exploration of the potential and possibilities of digital space. Even in the job market, digital platforms serve as a resource for professional development and job search. Given the availability of such opportunities, the indigenous labour force should search digital platforms for training and employment opportunities.
Inclusity is an Indigenous hiring hub that prioritizes Indigenous employment, inclusion, and retention in the workplace. Inclusity is a term that describes the combined act of Indigenous diversity and inclusion in the workforce. It offers regular virtual job fairs and an impressive job board with thousands of opportunities across Western Canada.
Inclusivity facilitates the recruitment and placement of Indigenous talent by progressive companies. Their job board and virtual job fairs provide access to Indigenous job seekers and assist in connecting qualified applicants with the appropriate employers.
They have extensive networks with thought leaders and industries that help connect people, ideas, and learning, and contribute to Indigenous economic reconciliation, technology, and health and wellness.
In response to the TRC’s Call to Action #92, which calls on the Canadian corporate sector to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources; Inclusity assist Indigenous people in gaining equal access to employment, training, and educational opportunities;
They acknowledge that a lack of opportunities to learn, share knowledge, and connect meaningfully with communities and Indigenous Peoples is the cause of the gap in the workforce industry. Inclusity is trying to bridge this through its executive team, comprised of seasoned event producers with 30 years of industry experience, to bring about social change and motivation to do better.
Inclusity’s desire to make changes and connect people in meaningful ways resulted in the formation of The Connect Partnership Group. They formed an Indigenous leadership council to guide their work, including Forward Summit (Indigenous Economic Reconciliation) and Workforce Forward (Indigenous HR Inclusion Strategies Conference). During the pandemic, they encouraged their partners to replace in-person Indigenous job fairs with digital technologies, resulting in the launch of inclusivity.
Their portfolio of events aims to transform, educate, foster meaningful relationships, and advocate for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and communities. In addition, they work to adhere to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action for indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians to come together in a concerted effort to help repair the harm caused by residential schools and move reconciliation forward.
As a result of the pandemic, people could not meet in person and had to rely on technology to make connections, particularly in the employment sector. Inclusivity was created to solve the problem of establishing new connections and assist Indigenous People in overcoming employment obstacles.
Indigenous Virtual Job Fair
Inclusity worked to develop a successful platform for Virtual Job Fairs for First Nations and Métis Communities throughout the pandemic. They have created a hub where registered job seekers and recruiters can connect with each other.
It allows Indigenous candidates to register free to connect with hiring companies, participate in skill development and resume writing workshops, and schedule one-on-one interviews with recruiters. Employers can meet candidates across western Canada, schedule on-the-spot interviews from their offices, and use the chat function to prequalify them.
The Indigenous Virtual Job Fair is currently running till October 19th, 2022 and will help job seekers make new connections, grab new opportunities, and gain new knowledge.
Indigenous Job Board
Inclusity is an Indigenous Hiring Hub, and its Indigenous Job Board feature helps connect job seekers to employment opportunities and provides helpful tools for growth and development. The Job Board features job postings from various industries, such as Oil and Gas, Construction, Industrial, Health Care, Hospitality, Administration, and Non-Profit organizations, and will find a match for your profile.
By creating a profile and uploading a resume, Inclusity will help job seekers get noticed by recruiting companies and provide features such as job alert notifications, algorithm-based suggested jobs, and an extensive resource library. Employers will benefit from a feature that allows them to showcase their company’s culture, process, and benefits to potential candidates using a resume database that is stacked and perfectly organized within a dashboard.
Employment is challenging for both hiring companies and Indigenous job seekers. This challenge motivated Inclusivity to assist Indigenous people and develop a platform that could connect thousands of Indigenous people with the appropriate employers.
Indigenous job seekers should keep themselves up-to-date with the knowledge and skills required in their field to present themselves as the best and first candidate for selection by a prospective employer in these changing times, especially with the pandemic’s devastating impact on the economy.
Inclusity.ca is a hub for Indigenous employment-related resources and collaborative partners. To know more about them, visit their official page https://inclusity.ca/.
Several companies provide opportunities for candidates to upskill their potential. To read more on this topic, visit our website https://indigenous-sme.ca/ and for the latest updates, check out our Twitter page @IndigenousSme.
