The government has said it doesn't want to impose any new reporting burdens on business.
Since 2017, companies with more than 250 employees have been required to publish their gender pay gap statistics, revealing the stark differences between the amount women and men are paid per hour on average.
The cross-party Commons women and equalities committee called on firms to publish pay differences between ethnic groups in their employment earlier this year.
The government said that there were significant statistical and data issues that would arise if you replace a binary-protected characteristic male or female with multiple categories, a report that found publishing statistics on the ethnicity pay gap might not be the most appropriate tool for every type of employer trying to ensure fairness in the workplace.
Ms Nokes said in a statement: "What is lacking in this administration is not resource or know-how, but the will or care to foster a fairr and more equal society Companies already reporting gender pay gap figures are well resourced to gather data on ethnicity and pay, and the government is providing detailed information on how firms can publish these statistics on a voluntary basis.
Previously, the trade union Unison called for mandatory ethnic pay gap reporting, and said it was important to recognize the interrelation between the ethnic pay gap and career progression.