TORONTO - A new report from an executive search firm says the number of women in top executive jobs at the largest publicly traded companies in Canada has stalled.
Rosenzweig & Company says in a statement Wednesday that the economic downturn has likely contributed to the finding that fewer than seven per cent of the most senior corporate offices are occupied by women, compared to 7.2 per cent last year.
The company says it has seen both progress and disappointment since it began tracking these numbers.
"This latest report finds the progress halted, but we're not so much disappointed this year as hopeful that things will pick up as the economy picks up and as more of these positions become available, more qualified women will fill them," managing partner Jay Rosenzweig says in a release.
The report says 35 women now hold top officer jobs in Canada's 100 largest publicly traded companies, down from 36 last year. There are 547 of these positions at the 100 companies.
And 69 per cent of the companies are run at the highest levels by men only, the report says.
