A diversity, equity and inclusion report by EY on Alberta’s energy and resources industry finds that only 20 per cent of Canada’s energy workforce self-identify as female.

The Careers in Energy survey, which was released Wednesday, also found that one-tenth of respondents believe that DEI has a negative impact on business performance and nearly one-quarter of respondents do not feel there are any barriers to discussing DEI at work.

Karleen Batty

“The cumulative impacts of a multiyear industry downturn, lower demands following the pandemic, and structural shifts in the energy and resources industry resulted in many workers retiring or leaving the sector in search of stability,” said Karleen Batty, Energy & Resources Market Strategy & Transactions
Leader at EY Canada. “When looking to expand their workforce, organizations should consider how they can prioritize DEI to both attract and retain talent, adopt inclusive succession planning strategies, achieve gender balance and represent Canada’s diverse labour market.

“To effectively address the war for talent in the energy and resources industry, it’s essential to have authentic leaders who set the tone from the top, lead inclusively and have the capabilities to forge ahead in a disrupted environment. Embedding DEI into their culture to increase diverse thinking and innovation, ultimately allows companies to differentiate themselves from their competitors and allow
employees to thrive.

“Without buy-in and commitment to DEI at these levels, policies and practises to attract and retain new generations of skilled employees may be compromised, leading to a high turnover rate, lack of organizational loyalty and perpetuation of discriminatory attitudes or biases.”

The report found that the gender balance in the workforce was much lower in energy compared to an average representation of 48 per cent of people self-identifying as female across other industries.

The full report Fueling Inclusion can be found here.

(Mario Toneguzzi is Managing Editor of Canada’s Podcast. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald, covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He works as well as a freelance writer for several national publications and as a consultant in communications and media relations/training. Mario was named in 2021 as one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the World by PR News – the only Canadian to make the list)

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