WAGE DISCRIMINATION, OCCUPATIONAL SEGREGATION AND VISIBLE MINORITIES IN CANADA

The earnings gap between each of Whites, Asians, and Blacks is decompo sed into the effects on earnings of productivity-related characteristi cs, wage discrimination and occupational segregation. Unlike previous Canadian studies, this paper analyses the relative economic position o f both immigrant and native-born visible minorities and explicitly inc orporates the effect of discrimination in occupational attainment on t he earnings gap. The results indicate that policies aimed at increasin g the ethnic representation across occupational categories would be ef fective only for Black men. Anti-discrimination legislation aimed at d ecreasing the earnings gap between visible minority and White women sh ould have a dual focus: they should aim at reducing the inter-occupati onal wage discrimination; they should provide training programs to ext end the career ladders confronting ethnic minority women.