five times the seven per cent growth rate
of self-employed Canadians overall.
The Aboriginal population is the fastest
growing group in Canada; it has grown by
22 per cent in the last five years and 50 per
cent of the population is under the age of
25. This baby boom is good news for em-
ployers in Canada, for whom labour pres-
sures are one of the greatest challenges
presently faced. And just over half of the
Indigenous population lives in urban cen-
tres.
For companies who need access to re-
sources on or near Indigenous lands, the
AHRC facilitates the engagement and
partnership readiness of the parties in-
volved to ensure long-term successful and
sustainable partnerships. There are posi-
tive examples of Indigenous engagement
in sectors such as mining and resources
where just over 20 per cent of the Indig-
enous workforce is employed in mining.
But the council is targeting disengaged
sectors of the economy such as retail,
hospitality, clean energy, health and ser-
OCTOBER 2016
H
business elite canada
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