Employers

Employers include business, government and non-profit groups. Business includes some very large, multi-national corporations as well as some small and medium local companies. What employers have in common is the need to attract and retain skilled workers.

Employers need workers to understand practices within the workplace, safety regulations, legal responsibilities and other work-related duties. Much work-related information comes in print, designed and written in ways that make it difficult for people with good literacy skills to easily read, understand and use – let alone workers with poor literacy skills. Employers face real problems when workers do not understand materials. They need plain language documents to help ensure safety and productivity; they need to consider creative alternatives with other media.

Employers describe the need for workplace and workforce literacy training – and their inability to provide it. Factors include a dispersed workforce, and lack of capacity and expertise. Many employers are prepared to support firm-specific training and feel that government should provide essential skills training.

In 2004, government provided 45% of Nunavut’s total employment; wholesale and retail about 12%; construction and other goods producing industries about 11%; transportation, accommodation and food services each about 4%; other service-producing industries such as banks, business and arts about 25% ^{Footnote 8}. About 15% of Nunavut’s population is involved with some kind of arts production – carving, print-making, weaving and tapestries, film, broadcasting, music and new media.

Nunavut’s private sector is small and it relies heavily on government for business. Nunavut employment should grow first in construction, health and education; then in mining, public administration, retail trade and perhaps fisheries.

Under Article 23 of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement, Inuit should be 85% of government employees. In 1999, Inuit were 45% of the government’s workforce, 41% by March 2003, 45% as of March 2004, and increased to 48% by June 2006. Government simply can’t find enough Inuit workers.

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