Investigating a First Nations Cultural Model of Employment

• Main Author: Heimlick, Micheal J 1991-
• Other Authors: Chirkov, Valery, Morrison, Melanie, Findlay, Isobel, Beatty, Bonita
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University of Saskatchewan 2017
• Subjects: First Nations; Cultural Model; Employment; Canada
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10388/7956

When compared with the non-Indigenous population in Canada, First Nations men and women have higher rates of unemployment, lower labour participation rates, and earn lower average wages which are said to result in an ‘employment gap’. Researchers have tried to explain this gap through factors such as colonialism, education, stereotyping, and cultural differences. The current study uses a theory of cultural models to investigate how First Nations men and women in Saskatchewan view employment. The researcher explored this view by implementing person-centred interviews. The interview analysis was systematic, case-based, and standardised between participants. The results suggest that the First Nations cultural model of employment is relationship-focused, interconnected, and context-bound in almost every sense (i.e., among employees; between employees and supervisors; between employees and their families and communities); it is egalitarian by nature, driven by a community-first mentality, and metaphorically can be presented as a circle, denoting interconnectedness of work, people, communities, and environment. Results indicate that this model is human-centred and it has high potential to foster a work environment where individuals’ and communities’ well-being is a priority. Future research should focus on additional support for the study results in other Indigenous groups and concentrate on specifying the theory’s concepts and associated methodology in relation to a First Nations cultural model of employment.