50
percentage points. Individuals with bachelor‘s degrees, college certificates, high school
certificates, and individuals who went to university without graduating all enjoyed noteworthy
improvements over the 1996-2001 period.
iii. On-Reserve/Off-reserve Aboriginal Labour Market Participation
The area of residence also affects labour market outcomes. On-reserve Aboriginals have
consistently lower labour participation rates, except at the university degree level where
outcomes are similar (Brunnen (2003a)). On average, the participation rate of on-reserve
Aboriginal Canadians was 16.2 percentage points lower than their off-reserve counterparts in
2001, 49.1 per cent compared to 65.3 per cent for off-reserve Aboriginal Canadians (Chart 13).
The lower participation rates on reserves can be partially explained by the lower educational
attainment of on-reserve Aboriginal Canadians noted in the previous section, lower employment
opportunities and the fact that on-reserve residents are more likely to participate in more
traditional activities such as hunting and gathering and as such may not be participating in the
formal labour force.
Chart 13: Labour Force Outcomes of Aboriginal Canadians On- and Off-Reserve in the
Western Provinces 1996, 2001
