Ethnic minority employment bulletin: February 2019
Updated 1 December 2022
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This bulletin provides Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and employers with up to date information, articles, research and case studies, as well as strategic and practical advice about ethnic minority employment.
Please share with us any information on activities you are doing, case studies or initiatives around increasing ethnic minority employment. We would really like to hear about the great work you are doing.
Email: racedisparity.auditcorrespondence@dwp.gsi.gov.uk
Labour Market Statistics show record high ethnic minority employment
On 19 February 2019 the Office of National Statistics published the latest employment figures showing a record high employment rate for people from ethnic minority backgrounds at 66.2%. The gap between the ethnic minority employment rate and the overall employment rate has now dropped below 10 percentage points.
The figures in this release are based on averages from January 2018 to December 2018.
Mentoring Circle Event
In October 2017, the Prime Minister published the Race Disparity Audit (RDA) to shine a light on how race affects people’s lives. On publishing the audit the Prime Minister made a promise that the government will explain or change the disparities. One of DWP’s responses was to deliver mentoring circles in the 20 challenge areas where the unemployment gap was wider than 10%.
On 17 January 2019 the Minister for Employment, Alok Sharma MP, hosted a reception at Parliament to celebrate the successful delivery of these mentoring circles with mentees and employers such as KPMG, Fujitsu and HSBC. At this event the minister announced the expansion of mentoring circles to all young people, it will start in London in March 2019 and roll out across the country from April. See what mentees had to say. More photos and employers’ comments can be found on Twitter at #explainorchange.
Secretary of State visits Stoke-on-Trent and Yardley
On 4 January 2019 Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd MP visited jobcentres in Stoke-on-Trent and Yardley in Birmingham. The minister met with the staff who, working with businesses in the area and other stakeholders, have helped to deliver record employment with 65,000 people moving into work last year in the region. The Secretary of State was particularly impressed with the local initiative for ethnic minority women that provides tailored support to British Pakistani and Bangladeshi women to help them get into work for the first time saying, ‘These are exactly the type of schemes I want to see more of’.
Publication of ethnic minority labour market participation report
DWP has published this report which looks at interventions which support labour market participation for members of ethnic minority communities in the 20 challenge areas and 2 further Jobcentre Plus areas. It aims to inform improvements and management of labour market interventions for these groups.
Part 2 of this series will present findings from research which is looking in more detail at some of the interventions discussed in part 1.
My Way In campaign
With over 800,000 vacancies in the UK, My Way In helps people looking for work to find roles in sectors with particularly high numbers of vacancies, such as retail, hospitality and manufacturing.
The campaign is designed to help people approach the jobs market with fresh eyes by showcasing inspirational stories of people in work who have successfully navigated the jobs market. It also shares practical advice from experienced employers.
Apprenticeship Week
The Education and Skills Funding Agency has launched a new campaign Fire it Up to promote apprenticeships amongst young people, parents and employers.
Blaze a Trail will be the theme of National Apprenticeship Week this March to highlight the fantastic opportunities that an apprenticeship brings to employers, individuals and the economy.
Ethnic minority employment in the Media
Ethnic minority Britons face “shocking” job discrimination (The Guardian)
Niceness not the answer to racial inequality (The Guardian)
Racism in the British work place (The Guardian)
Get in touch
We welcome any feedback on this bulletin and the best ways to communicate with Local Enterprise Partnerships and employers by emailing us at: racedisparity.auditcorrespondence@dwp.gsi.gov.uk