More than half of Indigenous Canadians working in the information technology sector say they’ve experienced discrimination at their current workplace (59 per cent) and have played down their Indigenous background to fit in better at work (56 per cent), according to a new survey by registered charity ComIT.org.
The survey, which polled more than 500 Indigenous IT employees, found nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) think they’re less likely to be promoted than other employees and the same percentage said they’ve experienced bias when applying for a job. A third (34 per cent) said they don’t mention they’re Indigenous on their social media profiles.
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The vast majority (96 per cent) of respondents said they believe there are systemic biases against Indigenous IT workers, including two-thirds who said it’s to a large or moderate extent (33 per cent each). Eight in 10 (83 per cent) said Indigenous IT workers likely face challenges not experienced by their non-Indigenous counterparts and three-quarters (75 per cent) said stereotypes about Indigenous communities impact perceptions about their IT capabilities.
Nearly all (97 per cent) said there’s a lack of representation of Indigenous voices in C-suite positions in the IT sector, including 37 per cent who say it’s to a large extent and 37 per cent who say it’s to a moderate extent.
“In many ways, the stats around bias and discrimination are the most concerning,” said Pablo Listingart, founder and executive director of ComIT.org, in a press release. “If Indigenous Canadians are being cast aside or locked out of even applying for jobs, we clearly have a long way to go to ensure an even playing field.”
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