Aboriginal/Non-Aboriginal Wage Gaps in Canada: Evidence from the 2011 National Household Survey

Using data from the 2011 National Household Survey, the present analysis seeks to provide a recent estimate of aboriginal/non-aboriginal earnings disparities for a sample of employees who work full-time, full-year. Wage gaps are estimated and decomposed at the mean for several aboriginal identity groups as well as those living on- and off-reserves. consistent with previous research, the results of the present analysis find earnings disparities are, in general, larger for aboriginal identity respondents (i.e. those who identify themselves as aboriginal persons), as opposed to those who report having aboriginal ancestry, but who do not identify as aboriginal persons. among aboriginal identity groups living off-reserve (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), First Nations experience the largest earnings inequality, followed by Inuit males and Métis. aboriginal identity respondents living on-reserve experience by far the largest earnings disadvantage of all the groups considered in the analysis. the study concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for future research, with an emphasis on the importance of addressing the potential role of discrimination in labour markets.