Aboriginal Peoples Survey, 2017
Labour Market Experiences of Métis: Key findings from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey

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Employment

Most employed Métis worked a permanent job in 2017

In 2017, 85% of employed Métis worked a permanent job. Of the 15% that did not work a permanent job; 4% worked a seasonal job, 6% worked a temporary, term or contract job, 4% worked a casual job, and 1% worked a job that was in some other way non-permanent.

About 8% of employed Métis worked multiple jobs at the same time

Women were more likely to work multiple jobs (10%) than men (6%).

Around one in ten (13%) of core working age Métis had moved for job-related reasons in the past 5 years

The share of core working age Métis who moved for job-related reasons in the past 5 years was higher in British Columbia (19%), than in both Manitoba (7%) and Ontario (10%).

Self-employment

In 2017, around one in seven (14%) employed Métis were self-employed

Employed Métis men were more likely to be self-employed (16%) than employed Métis women (11%).

Under half of self-employed Métis owned an incorporated business, although this varied across Canada

While 43% of self-employed Métis owned an incorporated business, this share was higher among men (50%) than women (32%). Regionally, the share ranged from over 56% of those in Alberta compared to 22%^E in Manitoba.

A third of self-employed Métis had hired employees

Nationally, 32% of self-employed Métis had employees. Among the provinces and territories, this ranged from 50% of self-employed Métis in Atlantic Canada to 21% of self-employed Métis in Quebec.

Freedom or independence the leading reason for choosing self-employment (37%)

Other reasons included flexible hours (8%^E), the nature of the job (8%^E), and the possibility of greater income (8%^E).

Most (91%) self-employed Métis did not receive outside assistance for their business

Under one-tenth (9%) of self-employed Métis said they received outside assistance for their business. Of those that did receive assistance, leading sources of assistance were private sector banks and other private institutions (29%^E), provincial or municipal governments (28%^E) or the federal government (27%^E).

Part-Time Employment

One in five (19%) employed Métis worked part-time (less than 30 hours per week at their main job)

Women were more likely to work part-time than men (27% versus 12%). Young Métis were more likely to work part-time (40%) than older Métis (22%), who in turn were more likely than core working age Métis (12%).

Attending school was the leading reason for working part-time among young Métis

Two-thirds (66%) of young Métis who worked part-time did so because they were attending school. This compared with 7%^E of core working age Métis. The percentage of young Métis who worked part-time because they were attending school ranged from 77% in British Columbia to 54% in Alberta.

Caring for children was a common reason for working part-time among Métis women

Over one-fifth (22%) of core working age Métis women who worked part-time reported doing so because they were caring for their children.

For one in four (26%) Métis working part-time, part-time work was not a choice

Involuntary part-time work was particularly prevalent among older Métis women. In 2017, 36% of older Métis women working part-time did so involuntarily compared to 21% of younger Métis women and 26% of core-working age women.

Other Labour Activities

About six in ten (59%) self-identified Métis aged 15 years or older participated in other labour activities during the last year

A larger share of Métis in rural areas compared to large urban population centres^{Note 1} had participated in these activities (72% versus 50%).

Only 4% of Métis aged 15 or older reported doing these activities for money or to supplement their income in 2017.

Métis who were unemployed in the labour market (7%) were more likely to do other labour activities for income than those who were employed (4%) or otherwise not in the labour force (5%).

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Hunting, fishing and trapping

• Over one third (35%) of Métis said they hunted, fished or trapped in the past year.
• Men were more likely to report hunting, fishing or trapping than women (47% versus 25%).
• These activities were also more common among Métis residing in rural areas than among of those residing in large urban population centres (50% versus 24%).
• About 1% did these activities for income or to supplement their income.

Gathering wild plants, for example berries, rice or sweet grass

• Over a quarter (27%) of Métis gathered wild plants in the past year
• Gathering wild plants was more common in rural areas than large urban centres (39% versus 19%)
• About 1% of Métis gathered wild plants for income or to supplement their income.

Making clothing or footwear

• Almost one in ten (8%) Métis made clothing or footwear in the past year.
• Making clothes or footwear was more common among women (13%) than men (2%)
• About 1% did so for income or to supplement income.

Making carvings, drawings, jewellery or other kinds of artwork

• About a quarter (24%) of Métis made carvings, drawings, jewellery or other kinds of art in the past year
• These activities were more common among women than men (30% versus 17%)
• About 2% of Métis did these activities for income or to supplement income.

Unemployment

Barriers to employment

A shortage of jobs was the most commonly experienced barrier to employment

A shortage of jobs was reported by a larger percentage of unemployed Métis in Atlantic Canada (85%), Saskatchewan (76%) and Alberta (74%) compared to Quebec (33%^E) and Manitoba (40%^E).

Métis women were more likely than men to report that not having enough work experience had made it difficult to find work

A larger share of unemployed Métis women (49%) than Métis men (37%) said that not having the work experience required for available jobs had made it difficult to find work.

Challenges experienced by young Métis differed from other age groups

Young Métis were less likely to report that a shortage of jobs made it difficult to find work (46%) than core working age Métis (69%) or older Métis (71%).

About one-half of young Métis reported not having the work experience required for available jobs (53%), compared to over one-third (37%) of core working age Métis, and a quarter (26%^E) of older Métis.

Over a third (35%) of younger Métis reported that not having the means of transportation to get to available jobs caused them difficulty in finding work. They were more likely to report this than core working age Métis (22%^E) and older Métis (17%^E).

What would help?

When asked what would help most to find a job, men and women responded differently

Among unemployed Métis, a higher share of men than women stated that more jobs would help them most in finding work (27% versus 15%^E). In contrast, a higher share of Métis women than Métis men said that having more academic education would help most (21%^E versus 12%^E).

Young Métis reported that work experience would help them most to gain employment

One in six (16%) unemployed Métis aged 15 to 24 reported that work experience would help most to find work.

Method of looking for work

About half (47%) of unemployed Métis used more than one method to look for work

Searching the internet was the top job searching method among unemployed Métis

Métis residing in large population centres were more likely to look for work on the internet (69%) than those in rural areas (48%) or small population centres (46%).

Métis women were more likely to search for work through their social networks of friends or family than men

About one in five (22%^E) Métis women and 14% of Métis men reported looking for work through friends and family.

Young Métis were half as likely to have contacted a public employment agency as their older counterparts

Nine percent (9%^E) of young Métis contacted a public employment agency to find work, compared to 18% of those ages 25 or older.

Not in the Labour Force

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Main reason

Of Métis that were not in the labour force in 2017, 18% wanted to work in the previous week

About a third (32%) of young adults and about a third (30%) of core working age adults who were not in the labour force wanted to work in the previous week, while 8% of older Métis did.

Illness or disability was the most common reason for not looking for work (37%) despite wanting to work

Among those who wanted to work but were not in the labour force, illness or disability was a more common reason for not looking for work among older Métis (49%) and core working age adults (44%) than their younger counterparts (15%^E).

Further, illness or disability as the reason for not looking for work ranged from 52% of Métis in Ontario to 20%^E in Saskatchewan.

Going to school was the primary reason young Métis were not in the labour force despite wanting to work

Forty-five percent (45%) of young Métis said “going to school” was the reason they did not look for work compared to 16% of all Métis.

Caring for children a key reason for not being in the labour force despite wanting to work among Métis women

Among women, 15%^E cited caring for own children as the reason they were not looking for work despite wanting to work, including a quarter (25%^E) of core working age Métis women.

What would help?

About a third (30%) of self-identified Métis who were not in the labour force expected to look for work within the next 12 months

Over three-quarters (79%) of young Métis, 41% of core working age Métis, and 10% of older Métis who were out of the labour force expected to look for work in the next 12 months.

A larger share of women than men said more education would help them find work

About a third (31%) of Métis women and a fifth (22%) of Métis men who planned on looking for work in the next 12 months stated that more education would help them find employment.

Core working age Métis women reported that child care assistance would help them find work

Around a quarter (23%^E) of core working age Métis women who planned on looking for work in the next 12 months reported that childcare assistance would help them find work.

Young Métis were more likely to say work experience and resume writing skills would help them find work

A larger share of young Métis who planned on looking for work in the next 12 months reported that work experience would help them find work than core working age Métis (26% versus 9%^E). Similarly, young Métis were more likely to report that résumé writing skills would be helpful than core working age Métis (22% versus 7%^E).

Skills and training

Men were more likely to state that their reading and writing skills limited their job prospects

Métis men were more likely than women to state that their writing skills limited their job opportunities (23% versus 14%). The same can be said for reading skills, with men more likely to report this than women (16% versus 11%). 

Older adults more likely to report that their computer skills limited their job prospects, whereas young adults more likely to report that their ability to work with numbers limited job prospects

Computer skills were seen as limiting by almost half (45%) of older Métis, over a third (36%) of core working age Métis, and about a quarter (24%) of young Métis. In contrast, young Métis were more likely to perceive their ability to work with numbers as limiting job prospects (28%) than both core working age Métis (22%) or older Métis (17%).

Four in ten (40%) Métis took courses, workshops, seminars, or training to develop their job skills in the past 12 months

Of those Métis who took courses, workshops, and other training, most (82%) took job-specific training (e.g., professional training, equipment, occupational health and safety).

Among Métis that did not take part in any such training in the past year, 26% wanted to take courses, workshops, seminars, or training to develop their job skills

Most Métis who wanted to take training wanted job-specific training (62%). The most common barriers that prevented them from taking training to develop their job skills were expense (49%), being too busy to take training (45%), and family responsibilities (41%).

The Aboriginal Peoples Survey and the Census

The Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) takes place after each Census of Population. While the Census provides key demographic, social and economic characteristics, the APS is designed to dig deeper to provide more understanding of the experiences, aspirations, and needs of First Nations people living off reserve, Métis and Inuit. Some examples:

Census of Population

• From the census, we get a picture of the characteristics of the employed and unemployed – age, sex, industry, occupation and more.
• From the census, we can get information about how many people have postsecondary qualifications, and their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
• From the census, we have information about the number of people who are able to conduct a conversation in an Aboriginal language, how many have an Aboriginal mother tongue, and how many are using Aboriginal languages at home and at work.

Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS)

• From the APS, we can also learn:
  • Levels of job satisfaction
  • Access to training and skills development
  • Reasons for working part-time
  • Over-qualification/Under-qualification
  • Reasons for being self-employed
  • Assistance/support for business owners
  • How looking for work
  • Willingness to move for work
  • Barriers to finding work and what would help most
• From the APS, we can gain deeper insights:
  • Reasons for choosing postsecondary program
  • Quality of guidance to select postsecondary programs
  • Distance education
  • Funding for postsecondary schooling
  • Barriers to attending postsecondary schooling
• From the APS, we can learn more about Aboriginal languages:
  • Levels of ability
  • Ratings of how important it is to speak and understand
  • Exposure to Aboriginal languages both inside and outside the home
  • How and where Aboriginal languages are learned

These are just a few examples of how the APS adds more detail to the information collected in the Census. Taken together, the Census and APS create a rich source of information about the experiences and socioeconomic conditions of the Indigenous population. Other broader topics explored in the APS include:

About the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey

Target population:
The 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS) is a national survey of the Aboriginal identity population aged 15 years or older as of January 15, 2017, living in private dwellings, excluding people living on Indian reserves and settlements and in certain First Nations communities in Yukon and Northwest Territories. The concept of "Aboriginal identity" refers to those persons who reported identifying with at least one Aboriginal group, namely, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuit, those who reported being a Status Indian (Registered Indian or Treaty Indian, as defined by the Indian Act of Canada), or those who reported being a member of a First Nation or Indian band.

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design. The APS sample was selected from Census of Population respondents who reported an Aboriginal identity or ancestry.

Data collection:
Two computer assisted interview questionnaires were developed for this survey: a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) and a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI). CATI and CAPI allows for more complex questionnaire flows as well as on-line edits which identify any logical inconsistencies so that interviewers can correct these with the assistance of respondents at the time of the interview.

Data collection took place from January 16, 2017 to August 15, 2017. The APS response rate was 76%, yielding a sample of approximately 24,000 Aboriginal respondents. Respondents were interviewed in the official language of their choice. For Inuit regions, the questionnaire was translated into Inuktitut and Inuinnaqtun. These versions were available as HTML files in the CAPI and CATI applications to assist interviewers with potential language barriers in the field.

Data Analysis:
Missing values including “don’t know,” “not stated” and “refusal” were excluded from the denominator when calculating percentages. Two estimates were considered to be significantly different from one another if their 95% confidence intervals did not overlap or p-values for the differences between estimates were greater than 0.05 in chi-square tests. A bootstrapping technique was applied when calculating estimates of variance.

Estimates with coefficients of variation greater than 16.6% but less than or equal to 33.3% should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are presented with an “E” throughout the report. All estimates from this report are based on survey weights that account for the sample design, non-response and known population totals.