Workplace discrimination and harassment in federally regulated workplaces: Results from the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction
On this page
- Introduction
- Women slightly more likely than men to experience discrimination at work
- Discrimination on the basis of race is the most prevalent type of discrimination
- Women are at a greater risk of experiencing sexual harassment compared to men
- Most employees in banks did not report to someone the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced
- Most employees who reported the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the outcome for the offender
- Employees in rail transportation are the likeliest to have witnessed incidents of harassment or violence in the workplace that were not directed at them personally
- Employees in banks the most likely to “strongly agree” or “agree” that their workplace is safe, healthy and free from harassment or violence
- Women in rail transportation more likely to have taken leave because of harassment or violence compared to men
- Employees in banks the likeliest to believe they would be at least supported to take leave for experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace
- Most employees “strongly agree” or “agree” that their employer was doing enough to protect them against harassment or violence in the workplace
- Close to 85% of employees in banks reported having received harassment and violence prevention training over the previous 2 years
- Slightly over one out of 3 employees in road transportation “don’t know” if their workplace has a specific procedure for reporting harassment or violence
- Employees in banks and rail transportation were the most likely to report that their workplace has a harassment policy posted in a visible place on its website
- Close to 45% of employees in road transportation “don’t know” if their employer offers an employee assistance program or counselling service
- Data source, methods and notes to the reader
List of tables
- Table 1: Share of employees by (a) whether they experienced harassment or violence in the workplace over the previous 2 years and (b) type(s) of harassment experienced, by gender
- Table 2: Share of employees who witnessed incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence in the workplace not directed at them by whether they or somebody else reported these incidents to their manager, supervisor, or other authority, by sector
- Table 3: Share of employees by degree of agreement that their workplace is safe, healthy and free from sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence and sector
- Table 4: Share of employees by extent of believing they would have been supported by the employer to take leave as a result of experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace, by sector
- Table 5: Share of employees by degree of agreement with whether their employer was doing enough to protect them against sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence in the workplace and by sector
- Table 6: Share of employees who reported having received training over the previous 2 years on how harassment and violence can be prevented in the workplace, by sector and employer size
- Table 7: Share of employees who indicated that their workplace has a specific procedure for reporting sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence by sector
- Table 8: Share of employees by whether the employer provides an employee assistance program or counselling service, by sector
List of figures
- Figure 1: Share of employees who felt discriminated against in the previous 2 years by sector and gender
- Figure 2: Share of employees who reported the most serious incident of discrimination in the workplace to someone, including their manager, supervisor or some other authority by sector
- Figure 3: Type of discrimination among those reporting experiencing discrimination by sector
- Figure 4: Share of employees who experienced sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace over the previous 2 years by sector and gender
- Figure 5: Share of employees by whether they reported the most serious incident of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence they experienced to someone, including their manager, supervisor or other authority by sector
- Figure 6: Share of employees by main reason for not reporting the most serious incident of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence they had experienced in the workplace to someone, including to their manager, supervisor or other authority
- Figure 7: Share of employees who reported the most serious incident of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence in the workplace to someone by degree of satisfaction with the outcome for the offender
- Figure 8: Share of employees by whether they witnessed incidents of harassment or violence in the workplace directed at other persons by sector
- Figure 9: Share of employees who took leave as a result of experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace by sector and gender
- Figure 10: Share of employees by whether their workplace has a harassment policy posted in a visible place or available on its website, by sector
- Figure 11: Share of employees who used the employee assistance program provided by their employer over the previous 2 years, by gender and sector
Introduction
This report examines the results of the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction (SEFJ) on workplace harassment and discrimination. The survey targeted employees working for employers covered by Part III of the Canada Labour Code except certain miscellaneous activities and First Nation band councils and related activities (for more information, see "Data source, methods and notes to the reader"). In the rest of the document, the target universe of the survey is referred to as the "federal jurisdiction". Tables of statistics from the survey are also available on the Open Government Portal.
Women slightly more likely than men to report experiencing discrimination at work
Within the federal jurisdiction, 7.4% of employees felt discriminated against at work in the previous 2 years (Figure 1).Footnote 1 Rates of discrimination were the highest in courier services and pipelines (10.4%) and in rail transportation (10.0%). Female employees (8.0%) were slightly more likely to report having experienced discrimination compared to men (7.1%). For example, the share of women (8.6%) in road transportation who reported having been a victim of workplace discrimination was close to 2 times higher the share of men (4.7%). Banking was the only sector where the share of men (9.2%) reporting discrimination was higher than the share of women (6.6%).
Figure 1: text version
| Sector | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 7.4% | 7.1% | 8.0% |
| Air transportation | 9.1% | 8.1% | 11.5% |
| Rail transportation | 10.0% | 9.6% | 12.9% |
| Road transportation | 5.4% | 4.7% | 8.6% |
| Maritime transportation | 8.1% | 7.2% | 11.0% |
| Courier and pipelines | 10.4% | 9.8% | 12.7% |
| Banks | 7.8% | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 5.8% | 5.0% | 8.3% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 5.8% | 5.5% | 6.2% |
Among employees who reported having been victims of discrimination, 40.0% indicated that they reported the most serious instance of discrimination they experienced to someone, including their manager, supervisor, or some other authority (Figure 2).Footnote 2 About 60.0% of employees did not report the incident. Employees in rail transportation (57.8%) were the most likely to have reported the incident, while employees in banks (27.7%) were the least likely to have done so.
Figure 2: text version
| Sector | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 40.0% | 60.0% |
| Air transportation | 48.8% | 51.2% |
| Rail transportation | 57.8% | 42.2% |
| Road transportation | 45.7% | 54.3% |
| Maritime transportation | 48.8% | 51.3% |
| Courier and pipelines | 48.2% | 51.8% |
| Banks | 27.7% | 72.3% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 34.5% | 64.6% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 37.4% | 62.6% |
Discrimination on the basis of race is the most prevalent type of discrimination
The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on several grounds, including race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, and disability. There are different ways workers can experience discrimination at work, including through the actions of their colleagues, of their clients or of their managers and supervisors. The most prevalent form of discrimination reported at work was discrimination based on race (32.9%) (Figure 3).Footnote 3 Other common types of discrimination include discrimination based on national or ethnic origin (20.2%), sex (19.8%), age (18.6%), and colour (17.2%). About one quarter of employees (25.0%) reported experiencing a type of discrimination not mentioned in the survey.Footnote 4
Men were more likely than women to report experiencing discrimination based on national or ethnic (23.5% men vs 14.9% women), colour (21.0% vs 11.1%), religion (5.1% vs 2.8%), and disability (9.6% vs 5.2%). Women, by contrast, were more likely to report discrimination based on sex (30.6% women vs 13.2% men), sexual orientation or gender identity or expression (10.7% vs 4.8%), and marital or family status (8.7% vs 5.4%). Meanwhile, men and women were similarly likely to report discrimination based on race, age, and language.
- Notes: Responses are limited to employees who reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace over the previous 24 months.
- Employees were able to give multiple valid responses to specify what the discrimination was related to. Proportions therefore represent the percentage of “yes” responses for a given question independent of other questions, and do not sum to 100%.
Figure 3: text version
| Type of discrimination experienced | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Race | 32.9% | 33.0% | 32.8% |
| National or ethnic origin | 20.2% | 23.5% | 14.9% |
| Colour | 17.2% | 21.0% | 11.1% |
| Religion | 4.2% | 5.1% | 2.8% |
| Age | 18.6% | 18.6% | 18.5% |
| Language | 8.4% | 8.5% | 8.2% |
| Sex | 19.8% | 13.2% | 30.6% |
| Sexual orientation or gender identity or expression | 7.0% | 4.8% | 10.7% |
| Marital or family status | 6.7% | 5.4% | 8.7% |
| Disability | 7.9% | 9.6% | 5.2% |
| Other | 25.0% | 27.9% | 20.3% |
Women are at a greater risk of experiencing sexual harassment compared to men
Within the federal jurisdiction, 5.6% of employees indicated that they had experienced some form of harassment or violence in the workplace within the previous 2 years (Table 1a).Footnote 5 The most common form of harassment or violence reported was non-sexual harassment (73.6%) (Table 1b). About 20.1% of employees reported having been victims of sexual harassment and 18.4% of workplace violence.
Female employees (6.5%) working in the federal jurisdiction were more likely to report having experienced workplace harassment or violence compared to men (5.1%) (Table 1a). We will now look at the type of harassment or violence experienced by men and women. Women (40.7%) were significantly more likely than men (5.9%) to report having been victims of sexual harassment (Table 1b). Meanwhile, the share of men that reported having experienced non-sexual harassment (82.8% vs 60.3%) was higher compared to women. Similarly, 21.7% of men reported experiencing violence compared to 13.7% of women.
| Experienced harassment or violence | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experienced harassment or violence | 5.6% | 5.1% | 6.5% |
| Did not experience harassment or violence | 94.4% | 94.9% | 93.5% |
| Type(s) experienced | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual harassment | 20.1% | 5.9% | 40.7% |
| Non-sexual harassment | 73.6% | 82.8% | 60.3% |
| Violence | 18.4% | 21.7% | 13.7% |
- Note: Employees were able to give multiple valid responses to specify the type of harassment or violence. Proportions therefore represent the percentage of “yes” responses for a given question independent of other questions, and do not sum to 100% within the category of “experienced harassment or violence”.
Rates of harassment were the highest in rail transportation (11.2%) and in air transportation (8.0%), and the lowest in banks (3.5%). The share of women who experienced harassment in road transportation (12.0%) was more than 3 times higher than that of men (3.5%). Overall, women were likelier to report experiencing harassment in all sectors, except for banks and telecommunications and broadcasting (Figure 4). In these 2 latter sectors, the share of women who had experienced harassment was similar to the share of men.
Figure 4: text version
| Sector | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 5.6% | 5.1% | 6.5% |
| Air transportation | 8.0% | 6.6% | 11.0% |
| Rail transportation | 11.2% | 10.8% | 13.8% |
| Road transportation | 5.1% | 3.5% | 12.0% |
| Maritime transportation | 7.6% | 7.2% | 8.8% |
| Courier and pipelines | 7.6% | 6.7% | 10.6% |
| Banks | 3.5% | 3.9% | 3.1% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 7.7% | 7.0% | 9.6% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 5.6% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
Most employees in banks did not report to someone the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced
Among employees who indicated that they had experienced harassment or violence in the workplace over the previous 2 years, 64.4% said that they had reported the most serious incident they had experienced to someone, including their manager, supervisor, or other authority (Figure 5).Footnote 6 The remaining 35.6% of employees indicated that they had not reported the incident to someone. Banks was the only sector were the majority of employees (52.2%) had not reported the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced. In the other sectors, between 62.0% and 73.2% had reported the incident to someone.
- Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported experiencing sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace over the previous 24 months.
Figure 5: text version
| Sector | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 64.4% | 35.6% |
| Air transportation | 66.9% | 33.1% |
| Rail transportation | 64.7% | 35.3% |
| Road transportation | 71.6% | 28.4% |
| Maritime transportation | 68.0% | 32.0% |
| Courier and pipelines | 73.2% | 26.8% |
| Banks | 47.8% | 52.2% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 72.3% | 27.7% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 62.0% | 38.0% |
Employees who had not reported the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced were asked about the reason for not doing soFootnote 7. About 44.2% indicated that they were afraid of negative consequences (Figure 6). Another 17.0% said they did not believe that reporting the issue would make a difference and 10.0% reported that they resolved the issue on their own. Meanwhile, 9.7% said that they did not think the issue was serious enough.
- Note: Responses are limited to employees who experienced one or more incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace over the previous 24 months and who did not report the most serious of these incidents to someone, including their manager, supervisor, or other authority.
Figure 6: text version
| Main reason for not reporting the most serious incident of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence experienced over the previous 24 months | Share of employees |
|---|---|
| The persons responsible changed jobs | 0.7% |
| Person in authority found out about the behaviour in another way | 1.6% |
| Did not know what to do, where to go, or who to ask for help | 2.2% |
| There was no specific reporting procedure | 2.2% |
| Changed jobs | 3.0% |
| Other | 3.6% |
| Had concerns about the formal complaints process | 5.8% |
| Did not think the issue was serious enough | 9.7% |
| Resolved the issue on their own | 10.0% |
| Did not believe it would make a difference | 17.0% |
| Afraid of negative consequences | 44.2% |
Most employees who reported the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced were “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with the outcome for the offender
Of the employees who reported the most serious incident of workplace harassment or violence they had experienced, 16.3% said they were “dissatisfied” with the outcome for the offender and 49.3% “very dissatisfied” (Figure 7)Footnote 8. Only 5.6% said that they were “very satisfied” and 11.1% said they were “satisfied”. The remaining 17.6% of employees were “neither satisfied nor dissatisfied”.
- Note: Responses are limited to employees who experienced one or more incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace over the previous 24 months and who reported the most serious of these incidents to someone, including their manager, supervisor, or other authority.
Figure 7: text version
| Degree of satisfaction with the outcome for the offender | Share of employees |
|---|---|
| Very satisfied | 5.6% |
| Satisfied | 11.1% |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 17.6% |
| Dissatisfied | 16.3% |
| Very dissatisfied | 49.3% |
Employees in rail transportation are the likeliest to have witnessed incidents of harassment or violence in the workplace that were not directed at them personally
Across all federal jurisdiction sectors, 7.1% of employees reported that they had witnessed incidents of harassment or violence in the workplace over the previous 2 years that were not directed at them personally (Figure 8).Footnote 9 Employees in rail transportation (14.5%), maritime transportation (12.9%) and courier services and pipelines (11.8%) were the most likely to report having witnessed such incidents. Employees in banks (4.0%) and road transportation (5.9%) were the least likely.
Figure 8: text version
| Sector | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 7.1% | 92.9% |
| Air transportation | 9.7% | 90.3% |
| Rail transportation | 14.5% | 85.5% |
| Road transportation | 5.9% | 94.1% |
| Maritime transportation | 12.9% | 87.1% |
| Courier and pipelines | 11.8% | 88.2% |
| Banks | 4.0% | 96.0% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 9.4% | 90.6% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 7.6% | 92.4% |
Of the employees that witnessed incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence in the workplace not directed at them, 46.8% stated that they or somebody else reported these incidents to a manager, supervisor, or other authority, 13.7% declared that none of the incidents were reported, and 22.0% said that some incidents were reported but not others (Table 2). Meanwhile, 17.6% of employees responded, “don’t know”.Footnote 10
| Sector | Yes | No | In some instances yes, in others no | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 46.8% | 13.7% | 22.0% | 17.6% |
| Air transportation | 42.4% | 10.7% | 25.5% | 21.4% |
| Rail transportation | 44.6% | 18.5% | 26.2% | 10.8% |
| Road transportation | 45.1% | 13.1% | 23.8% | 18.1% |
| Maritime transportation | 50.8% | 15.6% | 25.0% | 8.6% |
| Courier and pipelines | 53.0% | 16.3% | 17.2% | 13.5% |
| Banks | 40.7% | 11.1% | 23.3% | 24.9% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 42.9% | 18.2% | 28.6% | 10.4% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 57.1% | 17.5% | 13.5% | 11.9% |
- Note: Responses are limited to employees who reported witnessing incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace that were not directed at them personally over the previous 24 months.
Employees in banks the most likely to “strongly agree” or “agree” that their workplace is safe, healthy and free from harassment or violence
Across the federal jurisdiction, 82.6% of employees “strongly agree” or “agree” that their workplace is safe, healthy and free from sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment or violence (Table 3).Footnote 11 Another 12.0% of employees “neither agree nor disagree”, while 5.3% “disagree” or “strongly disagree”. Employees in banks (89.4%) were the most likely to respond, “strongly agree” or “agree”, while employees in rail transportation (12.3%) were the most likely to respond that they “disagree” or “strongly disagree”.
| Sector | Strongly agree | Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 47.7% | 34.9% | 12.0% | 3.5% | 1.8% |
| Air transportation | 35.6% | 38.6% | 16.4% | 6.0% | 3.4% |
| Rail transportation | 28.8% | 38.4% | 20.5% | 7.6% | 4.7% |
| Road transportation | 47.2% | 36.2% | 11.7% | 3.0% | 2.0% |
| Maritime transportation | 41.6% | 37.9% | 12.3% | 6.0% | 2.1% |
| Courier and pipelines | 36.6% | 38.4% | 17.9% | 4.9% | 2.2% |
| Banks | 60.1% | 29.3% | 8.1% | 1.7% | 0.7% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 45.7% | 37.2% | 10.9% | 4.8% | 1.4% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 46.1% | 37.2% | 11.8% | 3.4% | 1.5% |
Women in rail transportation more likely to have taken leave because of harassment or violence compared to men
Among employees who experienced harassment or violence in the workplace over the past 2 years, 17.2% indicated that they had taken a leave because of this harassment or violence.Footnote 12 Telecommunications and broadcasting (24.5%), rail transportation (26.5%), and courier services and pipelines (29.5%) had the highest share of employees having taken such leave. Road transportation (9.9%) had the lowest share (Figure 9).
Women (16.7%) were almost as likely as men (17.6%) to have taken such leave. However, there exist some differences by sector. For example, women (37.5%) in rail transportation were more likely to have taken leave from experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace compared to men (24.4%). At the same time, men (27.0%) in telecommunications and broadcasting were more likely than women (21.1%) to have taken such leave.
- Note: Responses are limited to employees who experienced one or more incidents of sexual harassment, non-sexual harassment, or violence in the workplace over the previous 24 months.
Figure 9: text version
| Sector | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 17.2% | 17.6% | 16.7% |
| Air transportation | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.4% |
| Rail transportation | 26.5% | 24.4% | 37.5% |
| Road transportation | 9.9% | 8.4% | 11.9% |
| Maritime transportation | 17.3% | 18.5% | 14.3% |
| Courier and pipelines | 29.5% | 29.2% | 30.2% |
| Banks | 14.4% | 14.6% | 14.2% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 10.8% | 11.4% | 9.5% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 24.5% | 27.0% | 21.1% |
Employees in banks the likeliest to believe they would be at least supported to take leave for experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace
Among all federal jurisdiction employees, 29.4% indicated that they believed they would be “very supported” by their employer to take leave for experiencing harassment or violence in the workplace. Another 24.9% believed they would be “supported”, 7.2% “neither supported nor unsupported”, and 5.3% “unsupported” or “very unsupported”.Footnote 13 Meanwhile, 13.2% of employees answered, “not applicable” and 19.9%, “don’t know”. Employees in banks (67.8%) were the likeliest to believe they would be “supported” or “very supported” while employees in rail transportation (12.2%) were the likeliest to believe they would be “unsupported” or very “unsupported” (Table 4).
| Sector | Very supported | Supported | Neither supported nor unsupported | Unsupported or very unsupported | Not applicable | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 29.4% | 24.9% | 7.2% | 5.3% | 13.2% | 19.9% |
| Air transportation | 20.1% | 27.3% | 10.1% | 8.9% | 10.5% | 23.1% |
| Rail transportation | 18.3% | 25.3% | 10.2% | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.9% |
| Road transportation | 23.0% | 19.2% | 7.3% | 6.6% | 19.2% | 24.6% |
| Maritime transportation | 26.0% | 28.5% | 8.6% | 6.0% | 14.0% | 16.9% |
| Courier and pipelines | 21.5% | 23.3% | 7.8% | 7.0% | 15.4% | 25.0% |
| Banks | 42.0% | 25.8% | 4.9% | 1.9% | 10.3% | 15.0% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 26.7% | 28.1% | 10.0% | 5.9% | 13.3% | 16.0% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 30.4% | 29.1% | 7.1% | 4.3% | 12.2% | 16.9% |
Most employees “strongly agree” or “agree” that their employer was doing enough to protect them against harassment or violence in the workplace
About 77% of employees in the federal jurisdiction “strongly agree” or “agree” that their employer was doing enough to protect them against harassment or violence in the workplace (Table 5)Footnote 14. Another 17.8% “neither agree nor disagree”, and 5.3% either “disagree” or “strongly disagree”. Rates of agreement were the highest in banks (86.6%); in telecommunications and broadcasting (77.2%); and in feed, flour, seed and grain (77.2%). Rates of disagreement were the highest in rail transportation (9.9%).
| Sector | Strongly agree | Agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 42.0% | 34.9% | 17.8% | 3.5% | 1.8% |
| Air transportation | 31.7% | 38.1% | 22.9% | 4.3% | 3.0% |
| Rail transportation | 29.2% | 39.5% | 21.4% | 4.8% | 5.1% |
| Road transportation | 38.6% | 34.9% | 20.9% | 3.5% | 2.1% |
| Maritime transportation | 36.1% | 37.2% | 20.0% | 4.7% | 1.9% |
| Courier and pipelines | 32.8% | 34.6% | 25.4% | 4.7% | 2.5% |
| Banks | 54.8% | 31.8% | 10.2% | 2.5% | 0.7% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 39.0% | 38.2% | 16.9% | 3.9% | 2.0% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 40.6% | 36.6% | 18.1% | 3.3% | 1.4% |
Close to 85% of employees in banks reported having received harassment and violence prevention training over the previous 2 years
Over 60% of employees in the federal jurisdiction reported having received training over the previous 2 years on how harassment and violence can be prevented in the workplace (Table 6)Footnote 15. The share of employees reporting having received such training was the highest in banks (84.8%), rail transportation (74.7%) and telecommunications and broadcasting (72.6%). Moreover, employees working for large employers (64.7%) with 100 or more employees were much more likely to have received such training compared to their counterparts in small (20.4%) and medium sized employers (29.2%).
| Sector | All sizes | Small (1 to 19 employees) | Medium (20 to 99 employees) | Large (100 or more employees) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 62.4% | 20.4% | 29.2% | 64.7% |
| Air transportation | 59.3% | 25.9% | 46.6% | 62.7% |
| Rail transportation | 74.7% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Road transportation | 31.9% | 19.5% | 23.1% | 48.0% |
| Maritime transportation | 41.3% | 21.7% | 37.4% | 48.6% |
| Courier and pipelines | 63.1% | 16.4% | 22.6% | 67.6% |
| Banks | 84.8% | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 51.6% | 22.0% | 35.9% | 73.7% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 72.6% | 23.1% | 32.8% | 78.3% |
- n/a: estimate not available.
Slightly over one out of 3 employees in road transportation “don’t know” if their workplace has a specific procedure for reporting harassment or violence
Within the federal jurisdiction, 73.0% of employees reported that their workplace has a specific procedure for reporting harassment or violence (Table 7).Footnote 16 Another 7.2% of employees said that their workplace does not have a specific procedure for reporting harassment or violence, while 19.8% responded “don’t know”. Road transportation (34.8%); courier services and pipelines (27.6%); feed, flour, seed and grain (24.8%); and maritime transportation (24.7%) had the highest shares of employees indicating that they didn’t know whether their employer has such a procedure.
| Sector | Yes | No | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 73.0% | 7.2% | 19.8% |
| Air transportation | 73.5% | 6.7% | 19.7% |
| Rail transportation | 83.7% | 2.7% | 13.6% |
| Road transportation | 49.6% | 15.6% | 34.8% |
| Maritime transportation | 67.2% | 8.1% | 24.7% |
| Courier and pipelines | 65.1% | 7.3% | 27.6% |
| Banks | 91.4% | 1.7% | 6.9% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 65.1% | 10.1% | 24.8% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 76.8% | 5.3% | 17.8% |
Employees in banks and rail transportation were the most likely to report that their workplace has a harassment policy posted in a visible place on its website
About 62.7% of employees reported that their workplace has a harassment policy posted in a visible place or available on its website, while 10.6% said “no” (Figure 10).Footnote 17 The share of employees who “didn’t know” if their workplace had such a policy posted stood at 26.6%. Employees in banks (81.3%) and in rail transportation (77.7%) were the most likely to respond “yes, while employees in road transportation (40.3%) were the most likely to answer, “don’t know”. Employees in road transportation (22.3%) were the most likely to indicate that their workplace did not have such a policy posted on its website or a visible place.
Figure 10: text version
| Sector | Yes | No | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 62.7% | 10.6% | 26.6% |
| Air transportation | 61.4% | 10.0% | 28.6% |
| Rail transportation | 77.7% | 3.6% | 18.8% |
| Road transportation | 37.4% | 22.3% | 40.3% |
| Maritime transportation | 56.2% | 12.8% | 31.0% |
| Courier and pipelines | 59.8% | 7.9% | 32.3% |
| Banks | 81.3% | 3.0% | 15.7% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 55.9% | 14.6% | 29.5% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 68.7% | 9.5% | 21.8% |
Close to 45% of employees in road transportation “don’t know” if their employer offers an employee assistance program or counselling service
About 62.6% of employees reported that their employer provided them with an employee assistance program or counselling service (Table 8)Footnote 18. Meanwhile, 11.1% of employees indicated that their employer does not provide them with such a service and 26.2% said they “don’t know”. Close to 90% of employees in rail transportation and about 84% of employees in banks knew that their employer provided them with this service. About 45% of employees in road transportation “didn’t know” about their access to such a service.
| Sector | Yes | No | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 62.6% | 11.1% | 26.2% |
| Air transportation | 60.5% | 13.7% | 25.8% |
| Rail transportation | 89.5% | 1.9% | 8.6% |
| Road transportation | 30.3% | 24.9% | 44.8% |
| Maritime transportation | 57.9% | 11.5% | 30.6% |
| Courier and pipelines | 54.4% | 8.4% | 37.2% |
| Banks | 84.1% | 2.1% | 13.8% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 54.0% | 14.8% | 31.2% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 76.4% | 6.5% | 17.1% |
Across all sectors, 14.3% of employees who had access to an employee assistance program or counselling service indicated having used this service over the previous 2 years (Figure 11)Footnote 19. The remaining 85.7% of employees had not used this service. Employees in telecommunications and broadcasting (19.9%); rail transportation (16.9%); and banks (15.7%) were the most likely to report having used the employee assistance program or counselling service offered by their employer. On the other hand, employees in feed, flour, seed and grain (9.2%) and in road transportation (9.4%) were the least likely to report having used this service.
Overall, women (19.0%) were more likely than men (10.9%) to have used such a service. This was true in all sectors. Women in rail transportation (32.3%) and in road transportation (18.3%) were more than twice as likely as men (14.2% in rail transportation and 7.1% in road transportation) to report having used the employee assistance program or counselling service provided by their employer.
- Note: Responses exclude employees who reported that their employer did not provide an Employee Assistance Program or counselling service.
Figure 11: text version
| Sector | Men and Women | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors | 14.3% | 10.9% | 19.0% |
| Air transportation | 10.6% | 8.9% | 13.6% |
| Rail transportation | 16.9% | 14.2% | 32.3% |
| Road transportation | 9.4% | 7.1% | 18.3% |
| Maritime transportation | 10.4% | 9.0% | 14.2% |
| Courier and pipelines | 10.9% | 8.8% | 16.5% |
| Banks | 15.7% | 12.1% | 18.5% |
| Feed, flour, seed and grain | 9.2% | 8.1% | 12.9% |
| Telecommunications and broadcasting | 19.9% | 15.5% | 26.4% |
Data source, methods, and notes to the reader
Data source and methods
The data source used for this report is the 2022 Survey of Employees under Federal Jurisdiction (SEFJ). The survey was conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf for the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada. The aim of the survey was to collect data on the working conditions of employees working in federally regulated workplaces. Topics covered include: work hours, health and safety, work-life balance, exposure to workplace harassment and discrimination, as well as access to leaves, benefits, flexible work arrangements, and collective bargaining coverage. Statistics Canada distributed the survey to 37,500 employees in early 2022 (January to March). About 19,060 employees responded to the survey.
The survey targeted employees working for employers covered by Part III of the Canada Labour Code. Part III of the Canada Labour Code covers approximately 6% of employees in Canada. This includes employees working in the following 8 sectors: air transportation; rail transportation; road transportation; maritime transportation; courier services and pipelines; banks; feed, flour, seed and grain; and telecommunications and broadcasting. Henceforth, the terminology "federal jurisdiction" (FJ) is used to refer to these sectors. The survey did not collect data from employees working in various miscellaneous activities outside of these 8 sectors, such as certain federal Crown and shared governance corporations, federally regulated mines and companies engaged in the management of fisheries. First Nation band councils and related activities were also not included.
Notes to the reader
- The sample frame for the SEFJ was constructed using lists of employees known to work at establishments under federal jurisdiction. These lists were either provided by employers or derived from administrative data sources such as tax data. For some employers, employee lists were either not provided or they were not usable, which was a source of under coverage for the frame. This under coverage was most significant among large establishments in the postal wing of the courier services and pipeline sector and establishments in the rail transportation sector. It is a potential source of bias when calculating estimates within those domains. In addition, due to the under coverage of postal services and, consequently, the much larger contribution of courier services, the sector was renamed to "courier services and pipelines" from its original "postal services and pipelines".
- The pipeline industry is combined with the courier industry because it has a relatively small number of employees. Given limitations on sample size, statistics reported for this sector alone would likely conflict with Statistics Canada's confidentiality and data quality requirements for reporting statistics.
- The estimates presented in this report are based on valid responses only, invalid responses have been excluded.
- Where relevant, estimates may not sum to exactly 100% due to rounding.
- The SEFJ included questions on both sex at birth and gender. This report uses the variable "gender", which is consistent with the approach used in the most recent Census of Population. Given that the gender-diverse category did not have a sufficient size to be reported, gender-diverse responses were randomly aggregated among the binary gender categories by Statistics Canada. Respondents who declined to provide a response to the question "What is your gender" are treated as non-responses and are therefore excluded from the results reported by gender.
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