54
for those who went to high school without graduating. The highest employment rate was among
those who had a bachelor‘s degree, at 78.3 per cent.3
Table 7: Employment Rates by Educational Attainment, 1996 and 2001
|
Aboriginal |
Non- |
Difference between Non- Aboriginals (Percentage __________Points)__________ |
Change in | ||
|
2001 |
2001 ^ |
1996_______ |
2001 |
1996-2001 | |
|
Less than grade 5 |
16.1 |
20.4 |
-2.7 |
-4.3 |
-1.5 |
|
Grades 5 to 8 |
24.0 |
24.8 |
-1.9 |
-0.8 |
1.1 |
|
Grades 9 to 13 |
37.2 |
47.4 |
-10.9 |
-10.2 |
0.7 |
|
High School Graduation |
62.4 |
64.7 |
-5.2 |
-2.3 |
2.9 |
|
Trades Certificate or Diploma |
60.0 |
64.6 |
-6.0 |
-4.6 |
1.5 |
|
College: Without Trades or college Certificate |
55.8 |
66.4 |
10.3 |
-10.6 |
-20.9 |
|
College: With trades certificate or diploma |
68.6 |
73.7 |
-11.8 |
-5.1 |
6.8 |
|
College: With college certificate or diploma |
71.4 |
75.5 |
-9.2 |
-4.0 |
5.1 |
|
University: Without certificate, diploma or degree |
59.2 |
67.4 |
-31.0 |
-8.2 |
22.8 |
|
University: With university or college certificate |
69.1 |
73.4 |
-7.6 |
-4.2 |
3.4 |
|
University: With bachelor or first professional degree |
78.3 |
78.3 |
-9.7 |
0.0 |
9.7 |
|
University: With certificate above bachelor's degree |
69.3 |
76.1 |
-2.9 |
-6.7 |
-3.8 |
|
University: With master's degree(s) |
77.4 |
78.1 |
0.6 |
-0.7 |
-1.2 |
|
University: With earned doctorate_________________________ |
___________58.3 |
77.9 |
-6.9_________ |
-19.7 |
-12.8 |
|
Less than High School Graduation |
32.5 |
40.0 |
-8.3 |
-7.6 |
0.8 |
|
High School Graduation and Higher______________________ |
___________65.2 |
71.6 |
61.4________ |
-6.4 |
-67.8 |
|
Total________________________________________________________ |
___________49.5 |
61.8 |
-15.0________ |
-12.3 |
2.7 |
Source: Census 1996 & 2001, Public Use Microdata Files
The difference between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations was particularly
noticeable in some educational attainment groups. For persons who only completed grades 9 to
13, employment rate of Aboriginals was 10.2 points lower than non-Aboriginals (37.2 per cent).
There was an almost 20 points difference for persons with earned doctorates (58.3 per cent for
Aboriginals and 77.9 per cent for non-Aboriginals). Aboriginal Canadians who went to college
or university without getting a certificate also suffered from a lower employment rate than their
non-Aboriginal counterparts.
Perhaps the most important divide was, once again, between the group who finished high
school and those who did not. Chart 15 illustrates this difference in both years. In general,
employment rates doubles when high school is completed for both Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal Canadians.
ii. Change in the 1996 to 2001 Period
Aboriginal Canadians experienced an above average improvement in their employment
rates between 1996 and 2001, compared to the overall Canadian population. In 1996, the
aggregate employment rate for the Aboriginal population was 44.2 per cent, 15.0 points lower
than the non-Aboriginal population‘s rate of 59.2 per cent. In 2001, the employment rate of
Aboriginal Canadians increased to 49.5 per cent while that of non-Aboriginal Canadians only
reached 61.8 per cent, thus lowering the gap to 12.3 percentage points (Table 7). This translated
into a 2.7 percentage points lowering of the gap between the two groups over the 1996-2001
period. At this rate, the gap would be at 4.2 points in 2016.