Indigenous workers discriminated against in applications for restaurant jobs, McMaster study finds

Author(s): Subramaniam, V.

Date: 2026

Resource: The Globe and Mail.

Indigenous workers have the worst employment outcomes when applying for jobs in the food services industry compared to white workers and other racialized workers, according to a new study from researchers at McMaster University.

The study, which will be published this year in the Britain-based journal Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, aimed to understand hiring preferences in the food services industry across Canada, by race and gender.

Ultimately, the researchers found that even when educational levels and experience were held constant among job applicants of different races and genders, discrimination occurred disproportionately toward those who disclosed their Indigenous heritage.

“We know that Indigenous people in Canada already endure endemic unemployment and poor labour market participation rates because of disparities in access to education. But what we now know based on the study is that their poor employment outcomes are also due to bias and discrimination,” said Catherine Connelly, director of the McMaster Centre for Research on Employment and Work, and a professor in organizational behaviour at DeGroote School of Business.

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Related Research Areas: Vulnerable Workers