North American employees who are part of equity-deserving groups continue to report shortfalls in salary and advancement opportunities compared to other workers, according to a new survey by the Robert Walters Group.
The survey, which polled 6,000 workers, found 72 per cent more men than women said they earn a salary of $55,000 or more. Despite efforts to close the pay gap, 60 per cent more women than men haven’t been offered a pay rise in the past 12 months. Women were also 50 per cent more likely than men to say they didn’t receive a salary increase following negotiations with their employer.
Nearly half (46 per cent) of LGBTQ2S+ employees said they’re underpaid, 21 per cent higher than heterosexual workers. When negotiating salary, 44 per cent of LGBTQ2S+ professionals said they received either less than 50 per cent of their proposed increase or no increase at all. Among transgender workers, more than half (59 per cent) of trans women said they haven’t been offered a promotion at their current company, compared to 33 per cent of trans men.
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Two-fifths (39 per cent) of men with a mental-health disability said they earn over $100,000, compared to just 11 per cent of women with a mental-health disability.
Professionals with mental-health disabilities were 47 per cent more likely than non-disabled workers to live paycheque to paycheque without any disposable income, while employees with sensory disabilities were 42 per cent more likely than workers without these disabilities to rely on income support in order to make ends meet.
Two-fifths (42 per cent) of Black women said they haven’t received a promotion, 31 per cent higher than white men. One in five Black women said they’re either unsure of the steps required for promotion or need more support to improve their understanding of the promotion process. Conversely, 16 per cent more white men than Black women said they’ve been provided with a clear understanding of what is needed to secure a promotion by their employer.
“The impact of the past few years has had a disproportionate impact on minority, underrepresented and vulnerable groups and so now is the time to ensure that we don’t take our eye off the ball,” said Coral Bamgboye, head of equity, diversity and inclusion at the Robert Walters Group, in a press release. “Organizations must keep their foot on the gas in continuing to hold equity, diversity and inclusion at the forefront of their focus and ensure that we don’t go backwards in the journey for equality.”
Read: Pay transparency could help solve gender, racial wage inequities: experts