Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between employees' perceptions of diversity training (DT) existence and effectiveness with organizational commitment (OC), and career satisfaction (CS). Design/methodology/approach-The analyses in this paper utilize survey data collected between 2006 and 2007 from over 11,000 managers, professionals, and executives working in nine large organizations in corporate Canada. The survey included questions about employees' perceptions of their work experiences and outcomes and their organizations' diversity practices. Comparisons of means as well as multivariate regression analyses were undertaken. Findings-The paper shows that employees who perceived DT to be effective were significantly more committed to their organizations and more satisfied with their careers than employees who perceived DT to be ineffective or non-existent. Research limitations/implications-The paper examines the linkages between DT, OS, and CS based on survey responses from managers, professionals, and executives. Findings may therefore not be applicable to entry level employees. Practical implications-DT, and in particular when viewed by employees to be effective, increases employees' OC and CS, which are associated with loyalty, lower turnover and higher employee engagement. Originality/value-The paper found that employees' OC and CS are highest when they perceived DT to be effective. Factors associated with OC and CS are explored based on employees' perceptions of the availability and effectiveness of DT.

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Previous studies have largely focused on the career success of white employees (Heslin, 2005). Using recent survey data, this paper examines the career satisfaction levels of white/Caucasian and visible minority managerial, professional and executive employees in the information and communications technology [ICT] and financial services sectors in corporate Canada. Given that the demographic makeup of organizations in Canada is drastically changing with the aging population and the increasing participation of visible minorities in the labour force, it is crucial for managers and organizations to understand their employees’ level of career satisfaction. Studies have found that employees who are more satisfied with their careers are more engaged and thus are more likely to actively contribute to the organization’s success (Peluchette, 1993; Harter, Schmidt and Hayes, 2002). Findings from this paper showed that the average career satisfaction scores were lower for visible minority employees than for white/Caucasian employees. In addition, variations were found between white/Caucasian employees and Chinese, South Asian and Black visible minority employees. While Black employees were 13.0% less satisfied than white/Caucasian employees, Chinese employees were only 8.3% less satisfied than their white/Caucasian counterparts, and the difference between South Asian and white/Caucasian employees was found to be insignificant. Decomposition analyses show that over 58% to 82% of the difference in career of satisfaction scores, depending on the ethnic group, can be accounted for by factors included in this paper. Of the unexplained portion, most of the differences in career satisfaction between white/Caucasian and minority groups are attributable to higher returns to white/Caucasian employees’ human capital and demographic characteristics.

Summary Using a proprietary dataset containing personnel records on over 22,000 full-time, non-unionized employees from a large Canadian firm with nationwide operations from 1996 to 2000, this paper explores the incidence of promotion for women and racial minorities. The findings show that women and racial minorities are less likely than their white male counterparts to be promoted. For both white women and minority women, the disadvantage is most severe at the lower rungs of the organizational hierarchy, lending support to the “sticky floor” hypothesis. Significant promotion disadvantages occur for white women, visible minority women, and visible minority men at the middle ranks of the organization, and visible minority men continue to experience a promotion disadvantage at the highest organizational levels.

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Purpose -This paper aims to explore an extensive set of determinants of earnings and to offer recent empirical evidence of their effects on gender and racial earnings gaps. Design/methodology/approach -Most previous studies looked at gender and racial comparisons independently of each other. This study extends previous studies by considering the interaction between gender and race. Using administrative data from a large Canadian firm, this paper explores the determinants of earnings based on a standard human capital model, comparing the earnings of white females, minority males and minority females with their white male counterparts. Both the dummy variable approach and a decomposition analysis are employed. Findings -The results show that ranking in the organizational hierarchy accounts for most of the differences in gender and racial earnings, and ranking, together with human capital and job characteristics variables, explains over 90 percent of the earnings gap.Research limitations/implications -The analyses in the paper are based on data from a Canadian organization with nation-wide operations. The findings may not apply to small or medium sized enterprises in Canada and in other non-Western economies. Practical implications -To eliminate the earnings gap, equal pay programs need to be supplemented by effective employers' programs and policies targeted at equal advancement opportunity. Originality/value -The paper uses firm-level data, which provides natural controls for variations across firms and allows for more in-depth analysis of the impact of various factors on earnings differentials.Previous research on gender and racial differences in earnings in both the USA and Canada have generally relied on data from national household or labor force surveys. Although these surveys have large representative samples and are well designed, by their nature they focus on data collection of supply side variables (i.e. information on the employees) and rarely gather relevant information from the demand side (i.e. information on the employers). Researchers and policy makers, therefore, are limited to formulating recommendations based on information only about employees without consideration for the employers. Studies focusing on demand-side variables are needed to complement our extensive knowledge of the labor supply side. In Canada, the most The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at

The fact that Aboriginal peoples in Canada have experienced sizable and persistent earnings disadvantages is well documented. However, the most recent estimates of Aboriginal-non-Aboriginal wage differentials utilize data from the 2006 Census. The present analysis seeks to address this gap by providing more recent estimates of Aboriginal earnings disparities for various groups of full-time, full-year workers using data from the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS). We estimate and decompose Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal wage gaps at the mean for a number of different Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups living on- and off- reserve. We find that, consistent with previous literature, Aboriginal peoples continue to experience sizable earnings disparities relative to their non-Aboriginal counterparts. We find that Aboriginal Identity respondents living on-reserve experience the largest earnings disparity, followed by males who identify as First Nations and live off-reserve. Respondents who report Aboriginal ancestry, but who do not identify as Aboriginal persons, experience the smallest earnings disadvantage. Results of the decomposition analysis reveal that, unsurprisingly, educational attainment is the most salient factor contributing to the explained portion of the earnings disparity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Somewhat disconcerting, we find that where wage disparities are the largest, the explained proportion of the gap tends to be the smallest. Although previous studies can only serve as a rough comparator, relative to earlier estimates of Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal wage differentials using previous census periods, we find that earnings disparities among Aboriginal ancestry groups have remained relatively constant; wage gaps for Aboriginal identity groups have narrowed slightly; while the earnings disadvantage has widened for Aboriginal identity persons living on-reserve. Research and policy programs aimed at improving educational attainment and access to employment among Indigenous peoples are likely worthwhile initiatives. However, more research is needed on the potential role of discrimination in contributing to the persistent earnings disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons in Canada.

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