An Examination of Factors Affecting Perception of Workplace Discrimination Rupa Banerjee Published online: 29 February 2008 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2008 Abstract This study investigates perceptions of workplace discrimination among racial minorities in Canada. Specifically, the study examines how objective experiences of disadvantage and expectations for equity influence racial minorities’ perceptions of discrimination. The results indicate that while both of these factors affect perceptions of discrimination, expectations for equity may be especially important. Although new immigrants are among the most disadvantaged groups in the Canadian labor market, they are less likely to perceive discrimination than longer term immigrants, who may have higher expectations for equitable treatment. Education also increases the perception of discrimination among immigrants, perhaps due to the higher expectations of educated immigrants. Lastly, objective income inequity is not found to be related to perceived discrimination. Keywords Discrimination . Racial minorities . Perceptions . Employment inequity Introduction A shift in the source countries of immigrants over the past three decades has triggered a significant increase in the proportion of ‘visible minorities’ in most immigrant receiving countries. The case of Canada is particularly illustrative since Canada has proportionately one of the highest immigration rates in the world (Statistics Canada 2003). Visible minorities are defined by the Canadian Employ- ment Equity Act as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in color.” Of these, the largest groups in Canada are the Chinese, South Asians, 1 and blacks. In 1981, there were approximately 1.1 million visible minorities, accounting for 4.7% of the total population. By 2001, the number J Labor Res (2008) 29:380–401 DOI 10.1007/s12122-008-9047-0 1 South Asians include those of East Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan or Nepali descent. R. Banerjee (*) Ryerson University, 575 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2C5 e-mail: banerjee@ryerson.ca