Urban Aboriginal labour force and training strategic framework

The urban Aboriginal population is the youngest and fastest growing population in Ontario, growing at nearly double the rate of the non-Aboriginal population, 1.8 percent compared to 1.0 percent. Urban Aboriginal youth, under the age of 24, represent 48 percent of the Ontario urban Aboriginal population. The non-Aboriginal population is aging at a higher rate with a median of 37.2 compared to 24.5 for the Aboriginal population. As a result of this aging population, Ontario's labour force is faced with an impending skills shortage that will impact Ontario's public and private sectors' ability to attract and retain necessary skills and labour. With education and training, the young and growing urban Aboriginal population can provide a sustainable solution to the anticipated skilled labour shortages while increasing economic agency among urban Aboriginal people and their communities in Ontario. Strategies must thus be developed to address the challenges faced by the urban Aboriginal population, in particular youth, to better position them to transition into the Ontario labour market.