Employment Equity Annual Report 2024 to 2025

On this page

1. Introduction
2. Workforce analysis
   • Table 1. Representation of designated groups in the NRC workforce: Progress over FY 2023 to 2024 and FY 2024 to 2025
   • Table 2. Representation of designated groups by EE occupational group: FY 2024 to 2025
   • Table 3. Women: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group
   • Table 4. Indigenous Peoples: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group
   • Table 5. Persons with disabilities: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group
   • Table 6. Racialized persons: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group
   • Table 7. Hires of designated groups by EE occupational group
   • Table 8. Promotions of designated groups by EE occupational group
   • Table 9. Terminations of designated groups by EE occupational group
   • Table 10. Representation of designated groups by geographic region
   • Table 11. Representation of designated groups by salary range
3. Progress implementing EE action plans
   • Implement focused outreach and recruitment efforts
   • Support the career advancement of diverse talent
   • Strengthen access to communities and resources
   • Build competency, practice and inclusivity
   • Enable inclusive innovation in research and program delivery
4. Consultations with employees

1 Introduction

The National Research Council (NRC) reports annually on its progress towards achieving a representative workforce, as required under the Employment Equity Act.

This annual report includes a workforce analysis of employment equity (EE) designated groups under the Act. The analysis is by EE occupational group, geographic region, salary range as well as proportions of hires, promotions and terminations.

Throughout this report, the words "Indigenous Peoples" and "racialized persons" respectively replace the words "Aboriginal peoples" and "members of visible minorities" used in the Act. The term "Indigenous Peoples" is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and replaces the legislative term "Aboriginal peoples" that appears in the Employment Equity Act and Employment Equity Regulations. The EE designated groups identified in the Act are women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

The workforce data in this report comprise indeterminate employees and employees in employment terms of 3 months or more. The report does not include numerical data on students, employees on secondment from other organizations, employees in term positions of fewer than 3 months or visiting workers.

The report also outlines the NRC's progress in implementing its 2021 to 2024 Workforce and Workplace Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, the new 2024 to 2027 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, as well as putting mechanisms in place to consult employees on EE issues.

In order to adhere to confidentiality requirements related to self‑identification information, all statistics involving 5 or fewer employees are not included in the tables in this report and are instead indicated by "SUPP". Data on women does not come from a self‑identification survey and are not subject to the same restrictions.

Note: At the NRC, data pertaining to the representation of women in our workforce are collected from information provided by new employees at the time of hire and may be updated at any time by Human Resources. Data on the representation of the other designated groups are collected using a voluntary self-identification survey made available to employees hired and every time they change positions within the NRC. Employees are able to update their self-identification information in the employee self-service portal at any time.

It should be noted that for this reporting cycle, representation for fiscal year (FY) 2024 to 2025 is based on the 2021 National Household Survey (Census) and the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD), while representation for FY 2023 to 2024 used the 2016 Census and 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability data. As the benchmarks have changed, direct comparisons between reporting periods should be interpreted carefully. 

2 Workforce analysis

On March 31, 2025, the NRC employed 4,590 individuals in 12 EE occupational groups, an increase of 173 employees over the number of employees reported in the previous reporting period (4,417).

Labour market availability (LMA) estimates for FY 2024 to 2025 are based on the 2021 National Household Survey and the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability. All percentage calculations in this report are rounded to one decimal place. The national LMA remained relatively unchanged for Indigenous Peoples, while availability for the remaining 3 groups has increased. As this is the first year applying these new benchmarks, there are limitations in comparing directly with the previous year's results, which used the former 2016 and 2017 benchmarks.

Table 1. Representation of designated groups in the NRC workforce: Progress over FY 2023 to 2024 and FY 2024 to 2025

As noted, LMA for 2024 to 2025 is based on the 2021 census and the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability. LMA for all designated groups was higher for all designated groups. As such, a decrease in representation relative to LMA shows for all 4 designated groups.  On March 31, 2025, the NRC had representation gaps in 3 of the 4 EE designated groups.

The representation for women in the NRC's overall workforce surpassed LMA. The representation of women relative to LMA decreased from 106.9% reported in FY 2023 to 2024 to 103.7% in FY 2024 to 2025.

The representation of Indigenous Peoples relative to LMA decreased from 73.5% reported in 2023 to 2024 to 66.0% in 2024 to 2025. The representation of persons with disabilities relative to LMA decreased from 65.5% in FY 2023 to 2024 to 47.3% in FY 2024 to 2025.

The representation of racialized persons relative to LMA decreased from 109.7% reported in 2023 to 2024 to 94.0% in 2024 to 2025 which introduced a gap of –79 individuals.

In terms of employee count, the representation of women at the NRC surpassed LMA estimates by 67 individuals. Representation of Indigenous Peoples was below LMA estimates by 38 individuals. Representation of persons with disabilities was below LMA estimates by 308 individuals. Representation of racialized persons was below LMA estimates by 79 individuals.

Table 2. Representation of designated groups by EE occupational group: FY 2024 to 2025

As noted in table 2, the professionals group is the largest EE occupational group at the NRC, comprising 52.6% of the workforce. This is followed by the semi-professionals and technicians' group (22.0%), administrative and senior clerical personnel (11.4%), middle and other managers (6.8%), clerical personnel (2.8%) and skilled crafts and trades workers (1.9%). Other smaller EE occupational groups account for the remainder of the NRC population.

The data and supporting narrative in tables 3 through 6 denote the NRC's findings and analysis for each EE designated group at the EE occupational group level as of March 31, 2025, as well as their respective number of hires, promotions and terminations during FY 2024 to 2025.

Table 3. Women: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

• On March 31, 2025, women represented 41.0% of the NRC's workforce, slightly above the LMA estimate of 39.5%, surpassing the availability benchmark by 67 individuals
• A review of the data by EE occupational group shows the representation of women at the NRC met or surpassed LMA estimates in 9 of the 12 occupational groups
  • Gaps were still present in the clerical group (–1 individuals), supervisors, crafts and trades occupational group (–2 individuals) and other manual workers group (–1 individual)
• The proportion of women hired increased from 46.6% in FY 2023 to 2024 to 47.9% in FY 2024 to 2025 and remained higher than the LMA estimate of 43.0%
• The proportion of women promoted decreased from 52% in FY 2023 to 2024 to 46.9% in FY 2024 to 2025, surpassing the LMA estimate of 40.0%
• In FY 2024 to 2025, 167 women left the NRC, representing 42.5% of all terminations, an increase from the 39% reported in FY 2023 to 2024 and lower than the LMA estimate of 44.1%

Table 4. Indigenous Peoples: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

• On March 31, 2025, Indigenous employees represented 1.6% of the NRC workforce, below the LMA estimate of 2.4%, resulting in a gap of 38 individuals
• Indigenous employees are under-represented in 7 of the 12 occupational groups with the greatest gap found in the semi-professionals and technicians' group (–14 individuals)
• Compared with FY 2023 to 2024, the proportion of Indigenous employees hired in FY 2024 to 2025 increased to 1.7%, which is lower than the LMA estimate of 2.5%
  • This means that the percentage of Indigenous employees hired by the NRC is lower than the estimated availability of Indigenous Peoples in the workforce
• The proportion of Indigenous employees promoted during the reporting period decrease from the 2.1% reported in FY 2023 to 2024, and is below the LMA estimate of 2.3%
• The proportion of Indigenous employees departing from the NRC in FY 2024 to 2025 was 1.5%, and remained lower than the LMA estimate of 2.6%

Table 5. Persons with disabilities: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

• On March 31, 2025, persons with disabilities accounted for 6.0% of the NRC workforce, below the LMA estimate of 12.7%, resulting in a representation gap of –308 individuals
• Under-representation of persons with disabilities exists in 9 of the 12 EE occupational groups, with the largest gaps seen in the professionals group (–173 individuals), followed by the semi-professionals and technicians group (–95 individuals)
• The proportion of persons with disabilities hired in FY 2024 to 2025 decreased to 6.3%, remaining below the LMA estimate of 12.9%
  • This means that the percentage of employees with disabilities hired by the NRC is lower than the estimated availability of persons with disabilities in the workforce
• The proportion of promotions for persons with disabilities decreased to 5.5% in FY 2024 to 2025 from the 6.9% reported in FY 2023 to 2024, remaining lower than the LMA estimate of 12.6%
• Persons with disabilities represented 6.9% of all departures in FY 2024 to 2025, a decrease from the 7.1% reported in FY 2023 to 2024 and lower than the LMA estimate of 13.0%

Table 6. Racialized persons: Hires, promotions and terminations by EE occupational group

• Racialized persons represent 27.2% of the NRC workforce, below the LMA estimate of 28.9%, resulting in a representation gap of –79 individuals
• Under-representation of racialized persons exists in 9 of the 12 EE occupational groups, with the largest gaps seen in the professionals group (–66 individuals), followed by the semi-professionals and technicians group (–27 individuals)
• The proportion of racialized persons hired in FY 2024 to 2025 remains at 39.1% reported in FY 2023 to 2024, remaining higher than the LMA estimate of 28.6%
  • This means that the percentage of racialized employees hired by the NRC is higher than the estimated availability of racialized persons in the workforce
• The proportion of promotions for racialized persons increased in FY 2024 to 2025 to 27.6%, from the 24.8% reported in FY 2023 to 2024, remaining lower than the LMA estimate of 28.6%
• The proportion of racialized employees who left the NRC was higher in FY 2024 to 2025 at 24.9% compared with the 19.6% reported in FY 2023 to 2024 and below the LMA estimate of 27.2%

Table 7. Hires of designated groups by EE occupational group

Table 8. Promotions of designated groups by EE occupational group

Table 9. Terminations of designated groups by EE occupational group

Table 10. Representation of designated groups by geographic region

Table 11. Representation of designated groups by salary range

3 Progress implementing EE action plans

Over the past 5 years, the NRC has made progress in addressing EE representation gaps relative to LMA. From year end of FY 2020 to 2021 to year end of FY 2024 to 2025, representation relative to LMA increased from 101.8% to 103.7% for women, from 52.4% to 66.0% for Indigenous Peoples, from 43.3% to 47.3% for persons with disabilities and from 92.6% to 94.0% for racialized persons.

This year, the NRC implemented its new EDI Strategy for 2024 to 2027. Aligned with the Government of Canada's commitments to equity, diversity and inclusion, the new strategy, which includes an EE action plan, is intended to help position the NRC as an inclusive place to work and engage. It centers on 5 strategic initiatives:

• Implement focused outreach and recruitment efforts
• Support the career advancement of diverse talent
• Strengthen access to communities and resources
• Build competency, practice and inclusivity
• Enable inclusive innovation in research and program delivery

The following sections outline the NRC's progress in implementing its strategy and action plans for each of the strategic initiatives during FY 2024 to 2025.

Implement focused outreach and recruitment efforts

During the reporting period, the NRC continued to make steady progress in improving representation for EE designated groups through hiring.

• The NRC worked toward the representation and hiring goals set for the period up to 2027, as approved by the NRC Senior Executive Committee in 2024
  • We successfully met the goals set for women for FY 2024 to 2025
  • The NRC will continue to work towards achieving its goal for FY 2025 to 2026
• The NRC maintained its external hiring goal assigned to NRC management (EX equivalent), that 50% of external hires will be qualified candidates who have self-declared as Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities or racialized persons
  • In FY 2024 to 2025, we achieved a year-end aggregate-level result of 45%, an improvement from the 38% achieved in FY 2022 to 2023
  • New hiring goals have been established for FY 2025 to 2026
• During the reporting period, all NRC executives were assigned EDI goals, including advancing inclusive and accessible practices, integrating EDI into workforce and succession planning, supporting the development of diverse talent, and meeting hiring goals for designated EE groups through the use of inclusive hiring tools, diverse selection boards, and targeted recruitment strategies
• The NRC continued to implement its monitoring framework to ensure progress against hiring and representation goals, which included quarterly progress reports to senior management along with an annual report on progress toward the implementation of the strategy
• In FY 2024 to 2025, the NRC continued its inclusive hiring efforts through the Indigenous Student Employment Program and the Persons with Disabilities Internship Pilot, both of which launched in January 2024
  • These programs provide meaningful work experience to Indigenous students and persons with disabilities across the NRC
• The NRC was present at the following career fairs and events focused on diverse talent:
  • Accessible Spring Career Fair
  • Soaring: Indigenous Youth Empowerment Gathering
  • BE-STEMM (Black Excellence – Science Technology Engineering Mathematics and Medicine) Conference
  • 2025 Annual Ottawa Indigenous Student Career Fair
  • Speed networking organized by POWE McGill (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Engineering)
  • Frontiers North School Division Science Fair

Support the career advancement of diverse talent

During FY 2024 to 2025, the NRC built on the progress made in FY 2023 to 2024 by launching several initiatives to support employee career development and strengthen programs focused on advancing diverse talent.

• In FY 2023 to 2024, the NRC launched a pilot sponsorship program to support high-potential Indigenous and racialized employees in preparing for leadership roles
  • The pilot included 26 employee protégés paired with 12 senior leaders who learned about the employee's career aspirations, advocated for opportunities to further develop their leadership skills, and helped open doors and build new networks
  • Following the conclusion of the pilot in fall 2024, we launched a second cohort in January 2025
  • Currently, 15 NRC executives are sponsoring a total of 18 protégés
  • The sponsor's role is to identify appropriate development opportunities and advocate for those they are sponsoring
  • To date, protégés have shared very positive feedback about the program and their experiences working with their sponsors
  • The current cohort will conclude in March 2026, after which the program will be evaluated using participant feedback to further enhance the program
• The NRC offers a mentorship program that is open to all employees, facilitating improvements and connections in areas such as leadership skills, career development and advancement
  • Mentors and mentees can self-declare as members of an EE designated group in their profiles
  • In FY 2024 to 2025, participation grew by 8% compared to FY 2023 to 2024, with 1229 registered users
  • Of the registered users, 75% were from one or more equity groups, with 49% identifying as women, 21% as racialized persons, 4% as persons with disabilities and 2% as Indigenous
• HR practitioners and management teams are encouraged to leverage pre-assessed pools, eligibility lists and anticipatory staffing strategies that prioritize EE groups
  • These tools can also support broader workforce planning initiatives, particularly in the development and advancement of high-potential employees through programs such as sponsorship and succession planning
• The NRC regularly communicated learning and development programs available to employees, including those organized across the federal public service, through its employee newsletter and other communication channels

Strengthen access to communities and resources

Throughout the reporting period, several initiatives were undertaken to expand employee networks and strengthen a culture of allyship and advocacy. These efforts aim to empower individuals to actively support and uplift their colleagues across the organization.

• The NRC has several co-champions to mobilize management and employees, drive change and help foster an inclusive work environment
  • These include co-champions for Indigenous engagement, anti-racism, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, accessibility and disability inclusion, women, official languages, and wellness and mental health
  • This year, the NRC also appointed a new co-champion for Gender-Based Analysis (GBA) Plus
• In November, the co-champions for anti-racism hosted an anti-racism allyship webinar
  • The virtual event featured a diverse panel of speakers who shared various perspectives on what allyship means to them and offered practical insights on how employees can engage in active, intentional allyship
  • More than 100 NRC employees attended the session, demonstrating a strong commitment to advancing an inclusive workplace
• The NRC has 4 employee resource groups and networks:
  • the Black Employee Resource Community
  • the Women in Science and Innovation Network
  • the Persons with Disabilities Employee Network
  • the newly launched 2SLGBTQIA+ employee resource group
    • This new network is dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive space where 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and allies can connect, share experiences and engage in meaningful dialogue around building a healthy, inclusive workplace
    • The network raises awareness and serves as a consultative body on issues that impact 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and assists the NRC in delivering on our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace
• Information on employee resource groups was regularly communicated to employees and supervisors through official NRC communication channels and during employee onboarding sessions
  • Additional communication channels included the NRC's 4 internal employee resource groups, as well as a number of federal networks such as the:
    • Federal Black Employee Caucus
    • Indigenous Federal Employees Network
    • Jewish Public Servants' Network
    • Muslim Federal Employees Network
    • Network of Federal Asian Employees
    • Public Service Pride Network
    • Network for Neurodivergent Public Servants (Infinity)
    • PSP Executive Network
    • Racialized Women Belonging Group
  • As part of onboarding, new employees are also introduced to the NRC's commitment to fostering an open, accessible, inclusive and anti-racist work environment, and are provided with resources on EDI, anti-racism, wellness and respectful workplaces through the NRC welcome toolkit
• The Indigenous Engagement Network provides a safe and supportive space for employees to share best practices and deepen their understanding of Indigenous Peoples
  • The network hosts bi-monthly meetings featuring guest speakers and NRC staff who share their experiences engaging with Indigenous communities in research
  • It also highlights Indigenous research and innovation, promotes cultural awareness activities, and shares updates on current and planned engagement initiatives
• The NRC's Inclusive Innovation Community of Practice raises awareness of ongoing initiatives in the inclusive innovation landscape
  • This forum allows members to exchange ideas, practices and lessons learned and to advance inclusive innovation in the NRC workplace and within its research and innovation activities
  • This fiscal year, the group has grown to 85 members

Build competency, practice and inclusivity

Throughout the reporting period, a number of actions were taken to advance inclusivity within the workplace and in the everyday work of NRC staff.

• The NRC's mandatory onboarding training now includes key courses from the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), including:
  • Diversity and Inclusion in the Public Service
  • Understanding Unconscious Bias
  • Inclusive Hiring Practices (required course for all supervisors)
    • These new courses ensure continued focus on this key organizational priority and will help employees and supervisors strengthen their EDI knowledge, increase bias awareness and foster more inclusive workplaces
• An Accessibility hub on our intranet site was created to provide employees with tools and resources, including links to the CSPS Accessibility Learning Series, toolkits and other materials designed to foster greater understanding and competency in accessibility
• The NRC provides and regularly updates a number of employee tools, including an EDI resource portal, an anti-racism portal, and library guides for anti-racism and Indigenous engagement
  • The NRC communicates learning and training opportunities via internal channels and encourages employees to register for diversity and inclusion courses and events offered through the CSPS
• The NRC's Black Employee Resource Group organized an "Ask Me Anything" session in honour of Black History Month, which was open to all federal public servants
  • This special event was led by the co-champion for anti-racism and featured guest panelist Dr. Rachel Zellars, author of the "Study of Black Executive Community in the Federal Public Service"
  • The event highlighted the importance of Black leadership and reflected on the legacy being built for future generations
• The NRC and the Government of Canada's Office of the Chief Science Advisor co-hosted the 2025 Celebrating the Success of Women in STEM Symposium, which drew more than 1,800 participants
  • Centered on the theme of "Women in Leadership," the event highlighted the role of women in driving innovation and featured networking and interactive workshops
• The NRC marked Public Service Pride Week from August 19 to 23 with events organized by the Pride Working Group
  • The week began with the raising of the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag at several NRC sites
  • In Ottawa, a ceremony was held featuring speeches from 2SLGBTQIA+ champions, a Two-Spirit Knowledge Keeper and the NRC President
• The NRC's Pride Working Group organized a screening of The Fruit Machine, a documentary about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Cold War-era surveillance and interrogation of 2SLGBQIA+ individuals
  • A panel discussion followed, featuring survivors who shared personal stories and reflections on the lasting impact of these discriminatory practices
  • More than 200 employees attended and said the event was an impactful experience that deepened their understanding of this part of history and reinforced the importance of advancing EDI
• A number of the NRC groups offered training and invited guest speakers on a variety of themes, including anti-racism and Indigenous lived experiences, in addition to organizing corporate-led training
• The NRC maintains and promotes a calendar of commemorative events to support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace, encouraging leaders to share events with their teams
  • Key dates are highlighted in the weekly employee newsletter to raise awareness and participation
• The NRC developed and published the Accessibility Plan 2023–2025 in December 2022
  • A second update on our progress was published in January 2025
  • This progress report outlined actions taken or underway to support the foundational areas of focus in the NRC's Accessibility Plan 2023–2025 and the NRC's priority areas of focus from the Accessible Canada Act
• The NRC continued to integrate GBA Plus into the assessment of the potential impacts of policies, programs and initiatives on equity-deserving groups
  • During the reporting period, GBA Plus was conducted on cabinet and Treasury Board submissions, as well as in program design and evaluation, departmental planning and reporting tools, and plans for new initiatives and processes
• The Indigenous Strategy and Engagement team continued to develop tools and resources to support Indigenous-inclusive research at the NRC, including the establishment of an Indigenous Engagement intranet page in FY 2024 to 2025 which provides regular updates for researchers to build their understanding and capacity for working with Indigenous partners
• The NRC worked toward enhancing gender inclusivity within its HR management systems, including providing new gender options in our systems
  • Consultations with the 2SLGBTQIA+ employee resource group and the Public Service Pride Network continue to be key in supporting these initiatives
• Over the course of FY 2024 to 2025, the NRC developed a streamlined workplace accommodation process which was launched in May 2025
  • The new process offers clear guidance and comprehensive information to help employees request and access accommodation support
  • This initiative was developed through consultations with service providers, unions and the Persons with Disabilities Network
  • To support its implementation, training sessions were offered to all supervisors, key service providers and senior leaders

Enable inclusive innovation in research and program delivery

During the reporting period, the NRC took a number of steps to inform our program design and delivery by examining the impacts of research and innovation activities on diverse groups.

• The NRC's Policy, Strategy and Performance (PSP) team engaged with research centres in an advisory capacity to help them apply GBA Plus practices in new and existing programs and initiatives
  • This supports more inclusive innovation, raises awareness and helps reduce barriers that equity-deserving groups may face when accessing new NRC initiatives
• PSP supported 7 events through their Outreach initiative, which provides non-recurring grant funding to not-for-profit-organizations and research partners for science or innovation-based projects
  • These events helped support equity-deserving groups
  • Of the 7 events, 5 focused on education and building STEM skills for Indigenous Peoples (1 conference, 2 education programs for students and 2 science-related cultural outreach events)
• PSP became a contributing member of the Interdepartmental Inclusive Science Working Group, which is developing guidelines to strengthen inclusion, GBA Plus and Indigenous Knowledge in federal science
  • PSP provided detailed feedback to make the guidelines more practical and responsive to the needs of science-based departments and agencies
• Through contributions to organizations, the NRC's Industrial Research Assistance Program supports equity-deserving groups, including Indigenous entrepreneurs, women-owned and women-led businesses, and gender-diverse people
  • This support helps small and medium-sized enterprises access mentorship and advisory services to grow their business, develop EDI plans and progress in their inclusive innovation journey
• The Indigenous Strategy and Engagement team continues to work with researchers and research centres to identify opportunities to engage with Indigenous partners and develop approaches that build positive relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations

4 Consultations with employees

The NRC carried out a number of consultations with employees during FY 2024 to 2025 to better understand their lived experiences and perceptions in key areas.

• The NRC launched its 2024 to 2027 EDI Strategy after consulting with over 150 employees, including employee resource groups, the Committee on EDI, bargaining agents and EDI co-champions
• In FY 2024 to 2025, NRC employees participated in the Public Service Employee Survey
  • The NRC's 2024 results remain positive in many important thematic areas, while some results reveal further opportunity for improvement
  • The NRC will be looking closely at the new survey results to determine additional measures that can be taken to support a healthy, respectful and inclusive workplace
• The NRC will continue to consult with employee resource groups, key stakeholders, committees and co-champions to advance EDI in the workplace and to reflect the diversity of the NRC's population in terms of identity, role, level, official language and region