Canadian manufacturers emphasize inclusivity to attract more women
Manufacturing companies that emphasize training, flexibility and benefits are better positioned to attract and retain female workers, something that’s key as the industry faces a labour shortage.
That message is the theme of a three-day forum on women in the workforce by the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters that wrapped up on Thursday, the eve of International Women’s Day.
The number of women in manufacturing grew to more than 29 per cent in 2022, the highest share the industry has seen in the past four decades. But that pales in comparison to the overall Canadian workforce, which is roughly at gender parity.
CME chief executive Dennis Darby said it’s not enough.
“We really have to do more,” Darby said, addressing the attendees of the online forum during the opening speech on Tuesday. “It’s time for us to collectively rewrite the narrative to erase outdated stigmas and showcase how innovative the manufacturing sector is today.”
CME has targeted a goal of 100,000 women in manufacturing jobs by 2030, or a third of the sector’s Canadian workforce.
The push to hire more women comes as the manufacturing industry struggles to fill positions across the board, with a lack of skilled labour making it hard to replace retiring workers.
Pipe manufacturing company Taneris Canada sees talent attraction among its top challenges.
One of its approaches is to attract youth through partnerships with local school boards and post-secondary institutions as well as open-door tours to show what manufacturing jobs actually look like.
The company also says a shift toward more inclusive policies has improved representation in the leadership of Tenaris Canada, with full female leadership at its service centre in Grand Prairie, Alta., and a far more balanced Canadian leadership team of nine men and five women, Dottor said.
Liza Vityuk, partner with McKinsey & Co., said at the forum that attracting and retaining women in manufacturing starts with adopting diversity and cultural inclusion as a corporate strategy.
“Gender- and ethnically diverse companies deliver better results, they have higher returns to shareholders than peers, [and] they are able to attract a better quality of talent,” Vityuk said.