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While the majority (86 per cent) of Black Canadians feel their employer has created a more equitable workplace for Black employees, there’s still room for improvement, according to a new survey by KPMG in Canada.

The survey, which polled more than 800 Black employees, found three-quarters (75 per cent) feel valued and respected in the same way as their non-Black colleagues and nearly nine in 10 (88 per cent) said it’s important for business leaders to be vocal on anti-racism.

Eight in 10 (83 per cent) believe Canadian companies will carve out their own path from the U.S. and continue to support efforts to eliminate systemic racism/biases in the way they recruit, hire and promote people. A similar percentage (78 per cent) said they’re confident in their company’s ability to reduce systemic barriers for Black Canadians in the workplace in the next five years.

Read: Survey finds Black Canadians report high levels of racism despite workplace improvements

However, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of respondents said they’re still experiencing microaggressions, racism and other forms of discrimination in the workplace. While a third (32 per cent) of Black employees noted they’ve experienced fewer of these incidents over the last year, 23 per cent said they’ve experienced more discrimination and 21 per cent said they’ve experienced the same amount as the previous year.

Notably, 78 per cent said online hate from social media platforms is spilling over into the workforce, creating tension, division, discomfort and racism.

“It’s heartening that Black Canadians feel corporate Canada has made progress on its goals to be more inclusive and equitable,” said Rob Davis, chief inclusion, diversity and equity officer at KPMG in Canada, in a press release. “But while organizations have done much to ensure that all employees are treated fairly, our survey reveals that many Black Canadians continue to experience racism in the workplace and within society which creates concerns about how their employer plans to keep improving in the future.”

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