What women and ethnic minorities want. Work values and labor market confidence: a self-determination perspective

Abstract

Drawing on self-determination theory and the model-minority hypothesis, this study explored potential differences in the work values and labor market perceptions of ethnic minorities and women relative to the majority group. Results, based on a sample of senior-level university students across Canada, revealed notable differences in the work values and levels of labor market confidence for these groups. Ethnic minorities reported higher intrinsic, extrinsic, social, and altruistic work values than Whites. Moreover, women reported lower intrinsic values, but higher extrinsic, social, and altruistic work values relative to men. With respect to perceptions of labor market confidence, both ethnic minorities and women expressed lower confidence in their labor market prospects than majority group respondents. Results from this study are consistent with self-determination theory and the model-minority hypothesis, and reinforce the need for organizations to more actively align their job design and recruitment efforts with the work values of minority workers. Implications for future research and the recruitment of minority workers are discussed.