Saskatchewan gender, immigrant wage gaps among widest in Canada – Saskatoon StarPhoenix

A lack of diversity in the mining and resource sectors could be driving up Saskatchewan's gender wage gap, according to Peter Wilson / Saskatoon Star Phoenix

Saskatchewans mining and nuclear industries have made strides toward hiring more women, but gender imbalance remains the elephant in the room,according to the vice-chair of a local organization that is determined to achieve parity in the sector.

It is a reality that were facing, is that women just arent interested in coming to the industry, said Nancy Komperdo, who has been involved with Women in Mining and Women in Nuclear Saskatchewan (WIM/WIN) for four years.

So how do we change that?

Women in Mining and Women in Nuclear Saskatchewan vice-chair Nancy Komperdo. Nancy Komperdo / Saskatoon

Komperdo, who works with the Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton in Saskatoon, said while companies including her own, which is angling for gender parity by 2025 have made progress, there is still a lot of work to be done.

Until that happens, a lack of diversity in the resource sector will likely to continue pressuring Saskatchewans 21.6 per cent gender wage gap, which is one of the countrys highest, according to a report released Wednesday by the Conference Board of Canada.

I think it comes back to the resource-based economy, said Sheila Rao, a principal research associate with the Conference Board of Canada. We have, probably, more men in the higher-paying professions and that will make a difference.

Closing the gap which is three points above the national average and, among the provinces, trails only Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and B.C. will require transparency and accountability from Saskatchewan employers, Rao said.

The only way to improve the situation is to bring light to it.

Anothersolutionis outreach and education, which workgroups like WIM/WIN are already tackling, Komperdo said. Its vital to drivehome the point that women have potential in an industry that has historically been dominated by men, she added.

This industry is great and theres an amazing, talented group of individuals that are working there, she said of WIM/WIN and other groups efforts to attract women to the sector. And we want more to come to us.

Women are not the only people in Saskatchewan facing a wage gap. According to the report, the provinces immigrant wage gap was37.1 per cent in 2015 second only to Manitoba, where the gap is 39.4 per cent, and about 17 points above the national average.

Rao said while an explanation for the gulf between what immigrants and non-immigrants earn is murkier, the availability of language skills training almost certainly plays a role.

Saskatchewan Intercultural Association executive director Jess Hamm takes a starker view, noting that bias either consciousor unconscious often makes it difficult for immigrants to advance beyond entry-level positions.

Theres a lot of resistance towards that, Hamm said, addingthat the problem is compounded bythe fact Saskatchewan, unlike many other provinces, is still adjusting to widespread immigration.

While attrition can play a role by creating more opportunities for newcomers as the existing workforce turns over,education is also a crucial step toward closing the immigrant wage gap, she said.

I think that a lot of companies are trying to make changes (but) its hard to undo how youve been cultured to run your company.

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Gender Wage Gap:

Newfoundland and Labrador 28.5%

Alberta 24.6%

B.C. 22.6%

Saskatchewan 21.6%

Nova Scotia 16.4%

Quebec 16.4%

Ontario 16.2%

New Brunswick 14.4%

Manitoba 13.2%

P.E.I. 10.7%

Immigrant Wage Gap

Manitoba 39.4%

Saskatchewan 27.1%

Quebec 26.5%

Alberta 25.9%

B.C. 20.1%

P.E.I. 16.7%

New Brunswick 15.2%

Ontario 14.3%

Newfoundland and Labrador 10.8%

Nova Scotia 2.8%

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Saskatchewan gender, immigrant wage gaps among widest in Canada - Saskatoon StarPhoenix