As baby boomers retire over the next 15 years, the Canadian economy is relying on a steady stream of immigrants to replace them in the labour force. In fact, Statscan predicts that one out of every three Canadian workers in 2026 will have been born in another country.

That’s right. Fifteen years from now, one-third of the labour force will be immigrants, and many of them will be visible minorities. Businesses that have considered diversity as a “nice to do” for the HR department will be losing the battle to hang onto and attract talented employees to their competition, companies that are taking action today to integrate newcomers into their workforces.

A Catalyst survey team found that many visible minority respondents perceived that workplace barriers, such as lack of fairness in career advancement processes, an absence of role models, inequality in performance standards, and fewer high-visibility assignments, made advancement more difficult for them than for their white/Caucasian colleagues. In addition, visible minorities reported fewer developmental opportunities.

Given these perceptions, it’s no surprise that a smaller percentage of visible minority respondents believed senior management of their organization was committed to cultural diversity.

Employees report greater career satisfaction and organizational commitment—known to be related to greater productivity and profitability—when they feel their organizations’ career advancement processes are fair. And an important predictor of that sense of fairness was the perception that their senior leaders were committed to diversity.

The message? Canadian business leaders not only need to do a better job of encouraging the emergence of talented employees, they need to expand responsibility for diversity beyond the HR department, and link it to broad corporate objectives with a champion from the most senior ranks. TD Bank’s President and CEO Ed Clark demonstrates TD’s commitment to talent development by personally mentoring promising employees—which might explain why he was an inaugural Catalyst Canada Honours Champion, and Canadian CEO of the year for 2010!

Look around your workplace. Where does it fit on the diversity scale—and what can you do to nudge it higher?

C-This, Canada! is a chance for me to highlight recent articles, podcasts, and videos about women and work that have struck me as interesting, informative, or thought provoking.  I hope you’ll use the comments section to let me know about any that I’ve missed—or give your feedback on any that I’ve listed.

First, some media reaction to the report that, despite educational success, Canadian women still earn 63 cents for each of their male counterparts’ dollars:

Canada lags on pay equity

September 8, 2010—Canadian women outperform men at all levels of education, but still make significantly less money in the workplace.  Canada’s gender-wage gap is much wider than that of most developed countries, according to a new report from the Council of Ministers of Education.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/09/08/15282501.html

Women at work: still behind on the bottom line

September 10, 2010—Women in Canada earn less than two-thirds of what men do, a ratio that has scarcely budged in more than a decade and is well below that of other developed countries.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/women-at-work-still-behind-on-the-bottom-line/article1699176/

And some intergenerational thoughts on feminism:

The ladies who lambaste

September 3, 2010—With time on their side, and feminism’s wind at their back, older Canadian women are taking action on issues from AIDS to Palestinian peace.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-ladies-who-lambaste/article1696077/

Outraged  moms, trashy daughters

August 10, 2010—Young women think that feminism is old-fashioned.  Is today’s “Girl Power” taking us backwards, or is it the new expression of women’s empowerment?

http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/08/10/outraged-moms-trashy-daughters/

“Third wave” of feminism urged by prominent Canadian women

September 9, 2010—Equality gap dominates Governor-General’s conference, following suffragettes and push to enshrine women’s rights I law, new focus must be….

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/third-wave-of-feminism-urged-by-prominent-canadian-women/article1701942/

And, finally, new Canadian research suggests that women are getting caught in the middle:

Promotion bottleneck blocks women, minorities, study finds

September 21, 2010—Women and visible minorities lag behind white men because of a promotion bottleneck in middle management, a Canadian study tracking advancement says.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/864206–promotion-bottleneck-blocks-women-and-minorities-study-finds

Glass ceilings, sticky floors, and the bottleneck in the middle

According to Ivey Professor Alison Konrad, women are crashing through the glass ceilings—but only if they can get through the bottleneck in the middle.

http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/publications/impact/default.htm

This past Canada Day, I attended a Citizenship Ceremony welcoming new Canadians from more than 20 countries.  I was reminded again of my good fortune to be born in a country that is chosen by thousands of immigrants every year for its promise of opportunity, equality and community.

Of course, behind the smiling and tearful faces lie individual stories of courage, struggle and hard work.  Stories like Catalyst’s own Alicia Sullivan.  After reading about our ground-breaking research  on the career advancement experiences of visible minorities in Canada, Alicia wrote me a thought-provoking letter which said, essentially, “This is my life.”

Her Master’s degree had not earned her a job in this country that was equal to her skills or potential.  Almost four years later, she is an integral part of the Catalyst Canada team and has earned her Canadian citizenship.  She is fulfilling the dreams that she brought with her to Canada and is contributing to our national aspirations for economic strength and social equity. 

As Canadians, we celebrate diversity. Demographic projections suggest that by 2017, more than 20% of Canadians will be visible minorities.  Yet, stories like Alicia’s echo what Catalyst research has found – while our workplaces are increasingly diverse, they are not always inclusive.   Visible minorities face barriers to their advancement: few role models and mentors, stereotyping, and exclusion from informal networks.   

Many of these challenges are more pronounced for visible minority women.  

Diversity is both a strength and an opportunity.  And the good news is that more and more business leaders understand that there are few issues more important to Canada’s competitiveness than closing the gap between the aspirations of Canadian immigrants and their experience.   

The most successful organizations have consciously introduced talent management practices such as mentoring, employee networks and diversity training for managers.  And not because it’s a “nice to do.” 

Establishing a place where skills and opportunity come together for everyone is critical.  When inclusive workplaces ensure that Canada lives up to immigrants’ expectations, we also ensure that their talent, skill and ingenuity enrich Canada for all of us.