Bank partners with social enterprise Magnet to tackle
employment barriers and focus on diversity hiring
TORONTO, Jan. 17, 2017 /CNW/ - Committed to increasing
employment opportunities for individuals living with a disability,
CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) announced today it is partnering
with Magnet, an online network that connects job seekers to
employers based on skills and talent needs.
A recently commissioned CIBC and Magnet survey* reveals that
nearly two-in-five working-age Canadians living with a disability
are unemployed, and this newly formed partnership aims to expand
access to job opportunities for persons with disabilities. The same
poll reveals that lack of opportunities (13%), past non-inclusive
employment experience (9%) and fear of discrimination (6%) are just
some of the reasons that individuals with disabilities cite they
are not employed.
"CIBC is committed to having a team that reflects our diverse
clients and the communities in which we live and work," says
Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Senior
Executive Vice-President and Chief Risk Officer, and Diversity
& Inclusion Executive Champion, CIBC. "We recognize that
persons with disabilities are a largely untapped resource pool and
Magnet's platform will help us connect with these talented and
experienced individuals, with the goal of matching them with the
right job opportunities at CIBC."
CIBC is committing to hiring 500 new team members with
disabilities in 2017, and will grow that number year over year. As
Magnet's Diversity partner for Indigenous peoples and Persons With
Disabilities, CIBC's funding will help Magnet to further refine its
search engine technology, and expand the platform to offer more
opportunities to match employers and strong talent.
"We are thrilled to partner with CIBC and are grateful for its
support," said Mark Patterson,
Executive Director, Magnet. "When forming this partnership, we were
impressed with the authenticity and leadership of CIBC in being an
inclusive employer and supporting community initiatives aimed at
addressing the issue of employment barriers. We also met and are
looking forward to working with many CIBC team members who also
bring their personal passion to the initiative."
Canadians Living with a Disability Employment Poll: Key
Insights
- Amongst working-age Canadians living with a disability, almost
two-in-five (37%) are not currently employed
- Of those, two-thirds indicate they are not working as a result
of their disability
- One-in-three indicate there are still very real barriers that
prevent them from obtaining meaningful employment including:
lack of opportunities for individuals with disabilities
(13%), their last employment experience was not inclusive (9%),
lack of confidence in their own abilities (7%), and fear of
being discriminated against (6%)
- One-in-four (24%) feel their most recent role did not
leverage their qualifications well. Of those, some reasons
cited include:
- 'I settled for the position due to a lack of other
offers' (45%)
- 'I was not given further opportunities because of my
employers' perception of my limitations' (23%)
- 'I was lacking the appropriate workplace accommodations /
support' (22%)
- Of those Canadians who do not disclose their disability with a
potential employer, half (51%) don't reveal this information due to
fear of discrimination
- While many respondents reveal they are comfortable discussing
workplace accommodations with their employer (70%), among those
requiring them almost three-in-five receive less than adequate
workplace accommodations (58%)
- Three-in-ten (30%) don't require any workplace
accommodations
- When applying for a new employment opportunity, one-third
(35%) of Canadians seek out employers who have a positive
reputation for diversity in the workplace
CIBC currently works with a number of organizations that help
identify talented persons with disabilities for employment
opportunities. In 2015, CIBC became the first Canadian bank
to form a partnership with Specialisterne - an organization that
connects persons on the autism spectrum with employers. And in 2016
CIBC also forged a relationship with Lime Connect to offer recent
grads with disabilities more opportunities to find meaningful
employment.
"We want to let job seekers with disabilities know that at CIBC
we focus on the abilities and personal strengths of people," adds
Ms. Dottori-Attanasio. "We need a diverse team to deliver on our
goal of being a strong, innovative and relationship-oriented
bank."
To learn more about careers at CIBC, please visit:
https://www.cibc.com/ca/inside-cibc/careers.html
*Canadians Living with a Disability Employment Poll
Disclaimer:
From December 20 to 22,
2016 an online survey was conducted among 1,002 Canadian
adults with a disability who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. For
comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has a margin
of error of +/- 3%, 19 times out of 20.
About Magnet
Magnet is a new network powered by data-rich, job-matching
technology that connects job seekers with employers based upon
skills, preferences and talent needs. The network is also a unique
source of real-time labour market information for decision makers
and community planners. Magnet's goal is to address unemployment
and under-employment specifically as it relates to youth, new
immigrants, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and other
individuals facing barriers to employment.
About CIBC
CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global
financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business
clients. Through our three major business units - Retail and
Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets - CIBC
offers a full range of products and services through its
comprehensive electronic banking network, branches and offices
across Canada with offices in the United
States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more
information about CIBC can be found
at www.cibc.com/ca/media-centre/ or by following on
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/cibc), Twitter @CIBC,
Facebook (www.facebook.com/CIBC) and Instagram @CIBCNow.
SOURCE CIBC