Can Social Procurement Address Employment Inequities in the Workplace: A Comparative Study of the Australian and Canadian Context

Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to examine the factors that encourage or inhibit the promotion of social policy through the public procurement process. Public procurement is sometimes used as an instrument for supporting both economic and non-economic goals, such as environmental and social goals. This paper will discuss how Federal Governments of developed countries have attempted to advance conceptions of social justice and change for the disadvantaged category (visible minorities, women, people with disabilities and the Indigenous community) through their procurement policies and processes.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Initially the literature review will examine the concept of social procurement and how it is benchmarked to promote social justice and change. This forms the theoretical base for the discussion. A comparative discussion of federal governments departments of Australia and Canada will follow, to discuss the experiences of social procurement in industrially developed countries.

Practical Implications

The Covid 19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented job losses and those likely to be impacted are the vulnerable category that are already dealing with labour market marginalization. This research paper will be exploring the goals of social procurement to provide employment opportunities to the vulnerable category-experiencing disadvantage. This could be a promising strategy to address the issues of unemployment in the long run.

Originality/Value

The inherent challenges for policy makers will be to ensure that the jobs created through the procurement process place the vulnerable category in secure roles and satisfy criteria such as access to training, provision of a substantial living wage and job security that comply with local and international labour standards.