“Show Me the Money”: The Returns to Education for Indigenous Canadians

Abstract

Research has shown a strong link between the acquisition of human capital and success in the labour market as measured through employment income. While this relationship has been demonstrated for the non-Indigenous population, it is not clear whether it necessarily holds true for the Indigenous peoples of Canada. This paper examines the returns to education (as a component of human capital) for the three Indigenous groups in Canada—First Nations, Metis and Inuit. The results of multivariate regression models constructed using data from the 2011 National Household Survey and the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey show that the returns to post-secondary education for Indigenous peoples are significantly positive and, in some instances, comparable to those for the non-Indigenous population.