Employment equity program effectiveness: towards understanding

Abstract

In their daily work, social workers are confronted with the negative outcomes of employment discrimination. In 1985, the federal government attempted to address employment discrimination with Bill C-62, An Act Respecting Employment Equity. It has only marginally improved the employment circumstances of the four groups it was designed to help. It is argued that the effectiveness of the Act and efficiency in administration could be improved by a common evaluation framework. To this end, a telephone survey with a sample of stakeholders comprising two separate groups, employer and designated group organizations was conducted, and results are presented. The findings indicate that there is a general disparity between employer and designated group opinions on most issues including: program objectives, expected outcomes, evaluation criteria and program benefits. The survey indicates that both groups believe in the potential for employment equity to achieve organizational change and are motivated to explore issues further.