Visible Minorities
- Visible minorities* in Canada make up 15.3% (3,922,700) of a total population of 25,664,220 1 and a corresponding 15.4% (2,639,520) of a total labour force of 17,146,135. 2
- Visible minorities make up 11.2% (180,775) of 1,620,900 total management occupations. 3
- South Asian and Chinese are the largest visible minority groups in the visible minority labour force, at 24.9% (656,205) and 23.6% (623,225) respectively. Black and Filipino are the next two largest at 15.0% (397,460) and 9.3% (245,850), with all other groups comprising 6.0% or less of the visible minority labour force. 2
- There are 1,265,510 visible minority women in the labour force, making up 47.9% of the total visible minority labour force and 7.4% of the total labour force. 2
- Women visible minorities make up 35.3% (63,725) of visible minorities in management occupations 4, corresponding with the percentage management occupations held by all women (36.7%). 5
- Visible minorities 65 years and older make up 9.6% (42,755) of the visible minority labour force. 2
- 8.6% of visible minorities are unemployed compared to 6.6% of all others.*** 2
- 11.9% of visible minorities have a university degree 2 compare to 15.4% of the total population. 6
Note: Labour force and population statistics are calculated based upon persons 15 years and older
* The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour". The visible minority population includes the following groups: Chinese, South Asian, Black, Filipino, Latin American, Southeast Asian, Arab, West Asian, Japanese, Korean and Pacific Islander.
** Not Included Elsewhere: People who reported a single write-in response which is likely to indicate a visible minority group.
*** "All others" indicates people who were not counted in the visible minority population, including respondents who reported a single response of "White" and respondents who reported Aboriginal identity.
Sources
1 Statistics Canada, "Visible Minority Groups (15), Generation Status (4), Age Groups (9) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," 2008 Census.
2 Statistics Canada, "Labour Force Activity (8), Visible Minority Groups (15), Immigrant Status and Period of Immigration (9), Highest Certificate, Diploma or Degree (7), Age Groups (9) and Sex (3) for the Population 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," 2008 Census.
3 Statistics Canada, "Selected Educational Characteristics," 2003 Census.
4 Statistics Canada, "Selected Cultural Labour Force Characteristics," 2003 Census.
5 Statistics Canada, "Occupation - National Occupational Classification for Statistics 2006 (720), Class of Worker (6) and Sex (3) for the Labour Force 15 Years and Over of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census - 20% Sample Data," 2008 Census.
6 Statistics Canada, "Highest Degree, Certificate or Diploma," 2003 Census.
UPDATED July 2, 2008
