Government of Nunavut Inuit employees make, on average, $20K less than non-Inuit

Inuit employees working for the Government ofNunavutmake on average $20,000 less than non-Inuit workers, according to a report by the territory's Department of Finance.

The salary discrepancy is a sign more Inuit require further training, says the president ofNunavutTunngavikInc.

The Public Service Annual Report for 2014/2015 tabled in the winter sitting of theNunavutLegislative Assembly breaks down the average salaries for 3,400 full-time public servants working for the territory.

Thereport shows about a$20,000 difference between what an average female NunavutLand Claimsbeneficiary earns ($79,480) compared with anon-beneficiary female employee ($99,042).

A beneficiary male ($82,376) earns on average $20,000 less thana non-Inuit male ($102,569).

"There's a huge salary disparity,"said NTIpresidentCathyTowtongie.

"That's why it's crucial for Inuit togain theseskillsetsso the salary levels will follow them."

Half of full-time Government ofNunavutemployees are beneficiaries, a figure consistent since 2009 according to thereport and far short of the territory's goal of reaching a workforce that's85 per cent Inuit by 2020.

Inuit men are proportionately under-represented, making up less than 12 per cent of the Government ofNunavutworkforce, somethingTowtongiehopes to change.

"How do we target Inuit men who are less employed?"Towtongiesaid. "That's what we're looking at."

TheMakigiaqtaInuit Training Corporation is working on a plan totrain, retain and encourage more Inuit to enter the workforce in a territory with a massive unemployment rate.

Unemployment among Inuit inNunavutwas 22.8 per cent in March.

Thetrainingcorporation is made up of leaders at NTI, the three regional Inuit associations,Nunavut'spremier and the territory's minister of education. It was created out of a $255 million settlement agreement between NTI and the federal and territorial governments in 2015.

"We are all working in unity to ensure Inuitbeneficiariesare givenopportunities, but atthesame time, we don't want to set them up for failure,"Towtongiesaid.

Beneficiary-only jobs

One way to get more Inuit working with the territory is a policy introduced in September 2015 restricting some Nunavut government job postings to beneficiaries only.

"Only those that are enrolled under the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement would screen in or have the opportunity to screen in for that particular competition," saidVirginia Lloyd, associate deputyminister at Nunavut's Department of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Lloyd says the territory is also looking at what it can do to fill its 1,141 vacant full-time positionswith Inuit employees.

The territory is trying to identify what it can do to bring potential employees into the workforce, part of an Inuit employment plan it's working on putting together this year with NTI and the federal government.

"Knowing that there is a high interest from Inuit to work within the Government of Nunavut is very encouraging and motivational for us to ensure we provide all opportunities," Lloyd said.