ETHNIC THE UNEMPLOYMENT GAP
The rate of unemployment in the black, Asian and minority ethnic population is twice as high as for white people
BLACK, Asian and minority ethnic people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white people. Some 3.8 per cent of the white population aged between 16-64 was unemployed at the end of 2017, findings from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show.
But 7.7 per cent of the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) population were also unemployed - more than double the proportion of white people.
Within the BAME population, Pakistanis had the highest rate of unemployment, with some 10.9 per cent out of work.
And 8.8 per cent of the black, African and Caribbean population was also out of a job. Some 8.5 per cent of the Bangladeshi population was in unemployment, as was 6.5 per cent of the Indian population. A further 6.3 per cent of people who self-identified as being of mixed heritage were out of work, too.
Meanwhile, 7.7 per cent of people who had another ethnicity - including Gypsies, Travellers and Arabs - were in unemployment.
The unemployment gap gets even bigger when broken down by sex.
While 3.9 per cent of white men were unemployed at the end of last year, compared with 6.4 per cent of BAME men, the figure widened drastically for women.
Nearly three times as many BAME women were unemployed as white women- 9.2 per cent compared to just 3.2 per cent.
Experts have said that employers could do more to encourage BAME people into work.
Debbie Weekes-Bernard, policy and research manager at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “The gap between minority ethnic people and white people in the labour market is a persistent one.
“We know ethnic minority women are more likely to not want to look for a job. They tell us that they fear racism and discrimination and they worry that nobody will want to employ them because they wear the hijab.
“So looking to educate and encourage these women in their specific areas is really important. “Some of the reasons why ethnic minority people are out of jobs does relate to discrimination. “There’s a recruitment issue and employers need to look at what they can do to help BAME people get through the door.” A DWP spokesperson said: “There are record numbers of black, Asian and minority ethnic people in work - half a million more since 2015. “We’ve launched programmes in ‘challenge areas’ to go further and help tackle the barriers faced by ethnic minority communities when they are looking for work.”