According to Statistics Canada:

• Black Canadians with a university degree had a lower employment rate (86.1%) than their non-visible minority counterparts (91.1%).

• Black youth, including the Black female youth aged 15 to 24, experienced high unemployment during the pandemic, as almost one-third of the labour force in this group (30.6%) was unemployed in January 2021.

​

Black Canadians, with the inclusion of Black Female Youth, experience higher rates of: 

• Unemployment: from January 2020 to January 2021, the unemployment rate increased more among Black Canadians (+5.3%) than among non-visible minority Canadians (+3.7%) in the context of the pandemic (Labour Force Survey).

• Discrimination at work or during the hiring process: In 2014, 13% of Black Canadians, compared to 6% of their non-Black counterparts, reported experiencing discrimination at work or in the context of a hiring process which could explain this increasing number experienced by Black immigrant youth.

​

As a significant part of the labour force in Canada, Black female youth face the same adversities as Black males but also experience the added strain of sexism, gender-based violence in the workplace, and discrimination. There is a need for an approach that considers all of their unique challenges and disadvantages to create more equitable and inclusive outcomes in the labour force.

​

FBF offers a feminist response to the current impacts of COVID-19 on the educational and career goals of Black girls and women. We focus on systemic issues that impact the population we serve and have developed several tools and resources.

​

We help Black female youth figure out:

• How to get credentials assessment services and evaluation of international academic documents.

• How to connect with other service providers for educational guidance and assistance such as language skills development, labour training, Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), and more.

• How to explore career prospects and access tools for career development.

• How to connect with local employment services that specialize in job search techniques and placements. 

• How to navigate labour force trends, future skills insights, and other relevant information to stay up to date.