White People Are More Likely to Get the Raises They Ask For

  • People of color 19% to 25% less likely to get salary increases
  • ‘Budgetary constraints’ is a common reason but not credible
Rear view of business team walking in corridorPhotographer: mediaphotos/iStockphoto
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When people of color ask for raises, they’re a lot less likely than white workers to get the salary bump they request, according to a new study by PayScale, a firm that analyzes compensation data.

Women of color, a group that includes African Americans, Asians, Hispanics and other non-white people, are 19 percent less likely than white men to get the raise they ask for, according to the survey of about 160,000 respondents. Non-white men were 25 percent more likely to be turned down for a salary increase.