Vancouver-headquartered HR Tech Group has launched a free online resource for Canada’s technology industry that provides access to more than 300 best-in-class Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) resources and tools.
A 2017 research report by HR Tech Group, Diversity & Inclusion in the BC Tech Sector, found that Indigenous peoples account for less than 1% of the industry’s workforce – this is one example of the imbalance that the D&I Resource HUB will help companies address.
The D&I Resource HUB, which was developed as a key pillar in the Government of British Columbia’s Diversity and Inclusion Tech Project, has been in development since 2019, and builds on eight years of sector stakeholder engagement, labour market information projects & strategy development.
The D&I Tech Project aims to increase the attraction, retention and advancement of women, Indigenous peoples, people of colour, people with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ/2S, in addition to all underrepresented groups, in skilled occupations in B.C.’s technology sector.
B.C.’s Labour Market Outlook projects 82,300 job openings in science, technology, engineering and math by 2028. In order to ensure opportunities and advancement for people that are underrepresented in these growing sectors, businesses need to approach D&I holistically.
The D&I Resource HUB gives them access to tools that can be used by leadership to support these underrepresented groups in the workplace, integrate D&I practices into each part of the employee life cycle, and embed D&I into company culture.
“There has been a tremendous increase in diversity and inclusion activity within B.C.’s tech industry over the past two years and we’re proud to be providing an important resource to support and expand these efforts through The D&I Resource HUB,” said Stephanie Hollingshead, CEO, HR Tech Group.
“We’re already seeing tangible actions and efforts across British Columbia, with tech companies measuring their workforce diversity, providing unconscious bias training, setting gender parity goals, hiring people with neurodiversity and removing gender pay gaps. Companies like Unbounce, Microsoft, Sophos, Clio and SAP are leading the way in making real changes. We’re encouraged by this activity and look forward to continuing to work with our partners to expand and continue to develop this important resource.”
Check out HR Tech Group’s D&I Resource HUB online here.