Descriptives
Table 1 provides definitions of the outcome
variable (usual hourly earnings) and the
characteristics to be included in the empirical
analysis. They cover the following domains:
individual characteristics; highest educational
attainment; household characteristics;
region; occupation; industry; and other jobcharacteristics.
Table 2 then provides descriptives for all the
variables by prioritised ethnic group, and gender.
All descriptives are weighted by weights provided
by Stats NZ.2 Furthermore, the descriptives are
derived from the regression sample.
Table 1: Variable definitions
Variable
Definition
Hourly wage
Usual hourly total earnings from main job, before tax ($)
Individual characteristics
Age
Age in years
Ethnicity
6 Dummy variables for prioritised ethnicity: Māori; Pacific; Asian; MELAA;
Other; European
Born in NZ
Dummy variable: 1 = Born in NZ; 0 otherwise
Educational attainment
Education
6 Dummy variables for highest educational attainment: No school
qualification; School, Post-school; Bachelor’s; Post-graduate; PhD
Household characteristics
Sole parent
Dummy variable: 1 = one parent with one or more dependent children; 0
otherwise
Partnered
Dummy variable: 1 = Married / living as married; 0 otherwise
Number of dependent
children
Number of children in the household aged less than 18 years who are
not employed full time
Household income decile
Income deprivation decile ranging from 1 (most deprived) to 10 (least
deprived)
Region
Regional council
12 Dummy variables for regional council: Northland; Auckland; Waikato;
Bay of Plenty; Gisborne/Hawke’s Bay; Taranaki; Manawatu-Wanganui;
Wellington; Nelson/Tasman/Marlborough; Canterbury; Otago; Southland
Occupational characteristics
Occupation
2
9 Dummy variables for occupation based on the ANZSCO Level 1
classification: Manager; Professional; Technical and trades worker;
Community and personal service worker; Clerical and administrative
worker; Sales worker; Machinery operator or driver; Labourer; Other
All imputed and proxy observations are included in our sample.
Empirical analysis of Pacific, Māori and ethnic pay gaps in New Zealand
4