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Moving Forward in Employment Equity Overview The 1986 Employment Equity Act gives the Commission the mandate to ensure that some 500 employers, with a combined workforce of nearly a million employees, comply with the Act. Census statistics released in April 2004 show a growing presence of certain groups—particularly Aboriginal people and visible minorities, as well as women—in the workforce. Over the last two years, the Commission has refined its approach to auditing and monitoring employers for compliance with the Employment Equity Act. In addition, it has continued to provide employers with information and guidance on their obligations under the legislation. The Commission began conducting compliance audits in late 1997. By the end of 2004, it had put under audit 282 employers, representing 77% of the workforce covered by the Act. For the second year in a row, the Commission did not have to issue any direction to employers to comply, nor to refer any employer to the Employment Equity Review Tribunal. This positive outcome reflects in part the emphasis that the Commission has put on helping employers better understand their obligations by providing additional tools and more thorough explanations of audit standards and expectations. By 2007, the Commission expects that 90% of the workforce subject to the Employment Equity Act will have been covered by audits. Audit Results Table 5 provides information on the number of audits completed to date under the Act and the number of audits that remain to be done. Table 5 Audits of Employers Under the EE Act as of December 31, 2004 | Employer Status | Number of Organizations | | AUDITS DONE AND UNDER WAY | | Employers in compliance | 189 | | Employers currently under audit | 93 | | Total: employers audited or under audit | 282 | | | | REMAINING AUDITS | | Canadian Forces, CSIS, RCMP | 3 | | Employers with more than 500 employees | 59 | | Employers with 100 to 500 employees | 247 | | Total: unaudited employers | 309 |
Note: Data on audits remaining to be done is approximative, since the number of employers changes from year to year. Data on current audits includes some audits put on hold or cancelled. |
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