Do Lower Expected Wage Benefits Explain Ethnic Age Gaps in Job-Related Training? Evidence from New Zealand

Abstract

Many studies show that individuals from ethnic minority groups receive low levels of job-related training, raising the question of whether lower expected wage benefits contribute to this lack of training. In this paper, unit record data are used to examine the effect of job-related training on wages in New Zealand. The results suggest that both the receipt of employer-provided training, and the number of training events, have larger effects on wages for minority workers than they do for white workers. There are no differences across ethnic groups in the wage benefits from other types of training.