Silent Struggles: Asian Employees Experience More Exploitation At Work

Authors:

Abstract: This paper investigates workplace exploitation with a focus on how race influences the experience of exploitation, particularly among Asian employees. Drawing on the intermediate position of Asian Americans in the U.S. racial hierarchy, the study theorizes that Asian employees are more likely to experience exploitation due to their ambivalent stereotypes of hardworkingness and roboticness. An analysis of the nationally representative American Time Use Survey collected across 20 years reveals that Asian employees are less likely to receive overtime pay compared to both White and Black employees, and the findings persist after controlling for confounding factors such as salary and working hours. This research unveils the unique professional costs of exploitation faced by Asian employees, providing insights into how racial disparities persist in the workplace. It also highlights the importance of investigating the experiences of understudied racial groups, especially those occupying intermediate status.

Track: DEI

Keywords: race, exploitation