Building an Indigenous workforce strategy that outlasts a single hiring cycle

An Alberta resource-sector employer operating in a region with significant Indigenous community presence. Leadership recognized that past recruitment attempts hadn't produced lasting results and wanted to build something more sustainable — aligned with the company's reconciliation commitments and long-term workforce needs.

The organization had made previous attempts to increase Indigenous workforce participation — but each had stalled. Recruitment reached communities, but retention didn't follow. Community relationships were transactional rather than trust-based, and internal cultural competency was limited.

Leadership wanted a strategy grounded in genuine partnership, not just compliance. That meant going further than posting jobs in the right places.

We developed an Indigenous employment strategy built around four pillars: recruitment, retention, community partnership, and internal capability. Each was designed to reinforce the others.

• Indigenous employment strategy aligned to reconciliation commitments
• Recruitment practice review — identifying where the process was losing candidates
• Community partnership framework built with Indigenous leaders, not for them
• Cultural awareness training delivered across the organization
• Retention and mentorship initiatives with structured support systems

Indigenous workforce participation increased across the organization. Retention improved as cultural support systems were built into the employment experience. Community relationships moved from transactional to collaborative — with Indigenous partners involved in recruitment design and feedback loops.

The organization built a workforce strategy that reflects its stated reconciliation commitments — and can sustain results over time rather than cycling through one-time hiring pushes.