The perception that race is behind the disparity in earnings between black and white Bermudians is put forward for "political and visceral reasons", the head of the Bermuda Employers' Council said yesterday.

BEC executive director Martin Law said he believes the perception is not based on facts, something his organisation will prove in the coming weeks.

Mr. Law acknowledged that whites and expats have a "historical advantage based on education, work experience and past privilege" but said he believed the pay gap was getting smaller.

"Racial factors are often put forward for political and visceral reasons but end up being damagingly divisive," he said.

"If we look at Bermudians as a whole, and we at the BEC do just that, you can see that the difference in pay between black and white Bermudians is totally explained by history and current educational attainments and experience; and is rapidly moving towards parity and thus disappearing."

He added that discrimination does happen on the Island, but he believes it is not widespread.

Mr. Law said: "If this historic legacy is allowed by Bermudians to define our future actions then our future is bleak.

"Our economy is driven by companies that have international scope and to continue to burden them with further bureaucracy and continued negativity in the media can only have one long-term outcome. They will find somewhere else more welcoming."

The Government's employment brief showed the average salary of white workers is 40 percent higher than blacks, however some pundits have argued this is an unfair comparison because it does not take into account the large number of white expats who work in top jobs across the Island.

Yesterday Mr. Law said Government failed to properly analyse income statistics.

"Government does not compare like-to-like in these areas or offer up any analysis and explanation of what the figures mean.

"The median figures do not help any reader to understand pay comparisons and as such, we would have to question why Government is not more forthcoming in attesting to this fact."

He added that the reality was there will always be huge disparities between top earners in international business and the average Bermudian.

He added that many Bermudians may aspire to be the top earners but might not have the education or experience needed and may not be inclined to work abroad, which he believes is essential to achieve top posts.

"This is not wrong, it is just the reality that we should recognise and accept, not criticise," he said.

His group will be presenting data which outlines a clearer picture of the pay gap between white and black Bermudians in the coming weeks. When the statistics are released he said he hoped, for the good of the Country's future, Bermudians would look at the facts.

He said: "The continued economic success of Bermuda, without which social progress is an impossible dream, seems to us to demand that we ditch the rhetoric and start talking about what is real."