Oct 13, 2022
This resource has been updated with information from our 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices: Diversity and leadership at Canadian public companies report.
The industrial products and services industry faces labour shortages in the coming years in both entry-level and skilled positions. Many companies are looking at diversity and inclusion as a means of not only improving their innovation and performance, but also for expanding their talent pipeline.
Familiar obstacles
Attracting and retaining skilled talent has been an ongoing challenge for the industry. A November, 2021 Business Outlook and Labour and Skills Survey study by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters found 80% of respondents reporting that they faced labour and skills shortages, which was up significantly from 60% the previous year. As the Canadian population ages and baby boomers retire, growth in Canada’s labour force is forecast to fall to near zero. Labour shortages were not expected to get better for at least a decade. A 2021 Creating pathways for tomorrow's workforce today by Deloitte reports that U.S. manufacturing is expected to have 2.1 million unfulfilled jobs by 2030.
Latest diversity numbers
The industrial products and services industry compares favourably to other TSX-listed firms with regard to women director diversity levels. Data compiled for Osler’s 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices report shows that 28% of directors at industrial products and services companies in 2022 were women (up from 27% in 2021), compared to 25% for TSX-listed companies as a whole. On a per-board basis, the number of women directors also was higher at 2.30 for the industry compared to 2.05 for TSX-listed companies.
In terms of women executive officers, the industrial products and services industry was lower compared to other S&P/TSX 60 Companies. The Osler report shows that 18% of executive officers in the industry were women compared to 24% for S&P/TSX 60 Companies. On a per-board basis, the industry number was 2.09 compared to the S&P/TSX 60 Companies average of 3.63.
Breakdown of number and percentages of women directors in 2022
Breakdown of number and percentages of women executive officers in 2022
Trends since 2015
A Women in business 2022 study by Grant Thornton reports that there has been a increase in the proportion of women in senior management around the globe. Women now hold 32% of top leadership positions, up from 31% in 2021. In the last decade, the proportion of female leaders has grown by 11 percentage points, up from 21% in 2012.
A 2022 survey by the HR Research Institute [PDF] reports that, although ethnic/racial minorities make up approximately 40% of the U.S. population, survey respondents said that ethnic/racial minorities comprise no more than 20% of their organizations’ people managers. Women of colour, however, are even more under-represented. According to a 2022 Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey & Company, women of colour hold only 4% of C-suite positions compared to 62% of white men, 20% of white women and 13% men of colour.
The Canadian Construction Association’s diversity and inclusion business case [PDF] highlights that only 12% of the construction workforce is women, with only 4% employed in on-site occupations. The association is working with its members to help them adopt diversity and inclusion initiatives. The association’s business case highlights the importance of diversity and inclusion to the industry’s future growth and prosperity.
Best practices and sector leaders
Osler’s 2022 Diversity Disclosure Practices report identifies Tree Island Steel Ltd. as having more than 50% of their executive officers as women.
AceTronic Industrial Controls Inc., a repair, calibration, control and plastics processing products company, works with the Women Business Enterprises Canada Council to help open doors for Canadian women-owned businesses to supply chains across Canada. The company also works with the Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council to provide and support a national information and referral network, which links major corporations and institutions with Aboriginal and minority-owned businesses.
Manufacturers of all size in the U.S. have taken the National Association Manufacturers Pledge for Action. By 2025, the commitment is to take 50,000 tangible actions to increase equity and parity for underrepresented communities, creating 300,000 pathways to job opportunities for Black people and all people of colour. In doing so, manufacturing will reflect the diversity of the overall U.S. workforce by 2030.
A number of companies have introduced supplier diversity and inclusion initiatives to enhance their revenues and to support their community outreach. According to a Greenstone blog, UPS launched its supplier diversity program in 1992 and now spends $2.6 billion annually doing business with approximately 6,000 small and diverse suppliers, with a goal to increase that spend year after year. UPS partners with third parties to run mentoring and training programs that support the growth and success of diverse suppliers. Earlier this year, UBS announced a new partnership with Atlanta’s Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs which is dedicated to driving the success of Black entrepreneurs. UPS leaders will provide program instruction, with supplier diversity being among the subjects covered.
W.W. Grainger, an American Fortune 500 industrial supply company, is helping to create an inclusive supply chain through distribution of more than 35,000 products provided by certified minority, women, LGBTQ2S+, disabled and veteran-owned businesses. In total, Grainger’s supplier diversity program includes 110 minority and women business enterprises. In 2021, the company joined a campaign focused on advancing women leaders to strive to achieve 50% representation of women in leadership positions by 2030.
Industrial gases company Linde’s (formerly Praxair) global procurement brochure [PDF] indicates the company has sponsored a supplier diversity program for more than 10 years, championing U.S. companies classified as small and diverse businesses. Since 2013, Linde has also collaborated with its global affiliates to understand and promote supplier diversity opportunities in each country in which the company operates. Cultural awareness training for all of its employees has further become an important part of Linde’s approach to diversity.
Global comparison
DuPont was named as one of America’s top corporations for women business entrepreneurs by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council six years in a row. The company’s diversity employee resource groups have been active since the 1980s. DuPont also has a gold program geared towards exposing doctoral and post-doctoral scientists from underrepresented groups to the wide range of career opportunities in industrial research at the company. The company’s roadmap to 2030 includes the goal of becoming one of the world’s most inclusive companies, with diversity well ahead of industry benchmarks.
From supplier diversity programs to employee resource groups to formal policies, industrial products and services companies are realizing the value of diversity and inclusion initiatives. Reaching out to and recruiting from diverse populations will help with the labour shortage, but the key will be to develop and retain this talent. The industry’s future growth and prosperity is riding on the success of this approach.