Research and analysis

Interventions supporting ethnic minority labour market participation: part one

Updated 11 October 2019

Executive summary

This report and the research underpinning the findings presented here, are part of a programme of work being conducted by DWP in response to the Race Disparity Audit. The audit published in October 2017 and refreshed annually, examines how people of different ethnicities are treated by public services. The purpose of the audit is to contribute to a better informed public debate about ethnicity in the UK, and indeed it highlights disparities that exist between different ethnicities.

For DWP the audit is linked to the Government’s commitment to increase Ethnic Minority employment by 20 per cent by 2020, which is part of the Government’s wider aim of building a country that works for everyone.

As part of DWP’s further analysis of the data gathered for the Race Disparity Audit, 20 Local Authorities were identified across Great Britain with high Ethnic Minority populations and a wide gap between the Ethnic Minority and White employment rate. These are known as “challenge areas”. Identifying these areas has helped to inform where improvements in service and delivery to Ethnic Minority groups would be most effective in terms of increasing their labour market participation. Two further areas also volunteered to take part in the research.

As part of the work to further develop area based interventions in the 20 hotspot areas, research was undertaken to examine interventions which already exist in these areas. The aims of this research were broadly to:

• identify best practice in hotspot areas, involving both Jobcentre Plus (JCP) and wider sources, for existing interventions which encourage members of the Ethnic Minority population to participate more effectively in the labour market.
• gather case studies if available.
• identify existing barriers to putting interventions in place and how these might be overcome.

The research comprised two broad elements, a literature review and semi-structured telephone interviews with at least one member of Jobcentre staff in in the 22 areas identified above. Those who took part were largely Partnership Managers and were aware of interventions in their areas which were designed to encourage members of Ethnic Minority groups to participate more effectively in employment, including supporting progression within the labour market.

Overarching and cross cutting themes

Research findings indicate an overarching difference in Jobcentre areas in terms of how provision for Ethnic Minority groups is delivered. In some Jobcentre areas there is generic provision – that is individual types of employment support are available to everyone regardless of ethnicity. In other areas, whilst this generic support is available there is also provision specifically directed towards particular groups within the Ethnic Minority community.

Where more specific support exists this is provided in order to try to overcome certain barriers to employment e.g. very limited/non-existent English language, cultural barriers to employment affecting some Ethnic Minority women and low levels of employment and particular barriers affecting young Black men.

Cross cutting themes

When interviewees for this research talked about interventions to support members of the Ethnic Minority community into employment, a number of themes were mentioned in connection with providing this support. These are:

• effectiveness of ESOL
• working with the local community
• up-skilling Jobcentre work coaches

ESOL is not viewed as effective (especially at entry level) for all claimants who could repeatedly “cycle” to and from ESOL classes. In part this may be due to claimants not being effectively monitored by Jobcentres and being sent to classes which are too advanced for them and also where claimants do not really understand their obligations towards employment.

Some Jobcentres are making links with local Ethnic Minority communities to support ethnic minority people into the labour market. This may involve inviting the local community into Jobcentres which can contribute to up-skilling staff, working in the local community to more effectively reach Ethnic Minority groups. By using local community providers the support will be specific to the Ethnic Minority groups which reflect the local community demographics. Some Jobcentres are also up-skilling work coaches by inviting groups with awareness of the barriers, culture and experiences of Ethnic Minority groups to share this insight with Jobcentre staff.

“Stay at home” Ethnic Minority women

One group in receipt of tailored support is Ethnic Minority women who would traditionally be expected to remain in the home caring for the family and not participate in the labour market.

Some Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somalian and Kurdish women may find it difficult to take part in wider society and enter employment. In part this may be due to the effects of segregation and cultural attitudes where they are expected to stay at home and care for younger and older members of the household. Employment may be further constrained by cultural and religious preferences towards caring for children and older relatives as well as practical issues such as affordability of childcare.

Examples were provided of support in Jobcentre areas which aim to tackle the effects of segregation. These take place in the community and provide a social situation where Ethnic Minority women can build relationships with others and gain confidence. Other support is available which aims to empower women to take steps towards employment e.g. by introducing basic English and familiarising themselves with the job market.

Young Black men, including those associated with gang violence

Young Black men and those involved in or on the edges of gang violence, are two further groups identified in the research as having employment related provision specifically directed towards them. Whilst not all young people involved in gangs are Black, those young people discussed in this research tended to be. This is because those interviewees who talked about this issue, were from challenge areas in which there were high proportions of Black people living in them i.e. London areas.

Young Black men in this research appear to have taken part in the Moving on Up (MoU) initiative which aimed to increase the employment rates of young Black men in London by funding a range of differing types of interventions. The evaluation of MoU found that the success rate of getting young black men into paid work was comparable to similar programmes in the field. Its biggest impact was on participants’ attitude, with them becoming more motivated and confident.

Employment may be a way out of gang violence and the research has demonstrated various interventions aimed at moving those involved in, or at the edges of gang violence, towards employability. Case studies include the work of a Community engagement adviser (formally known as a Gangs Adviser) and a member of the local authority led Integrated Gang Unit and an outreach worker. They liaise with other agencies who work with young people involved in gangs e.g. the Police, Probation Service, Social Services and Youth Offending Teams. When working with the young people, they appear to try to build trust and rapport to enable them to then move on to talking about further opportunities in education, training and employment.

Authors

Yvonne Smith, Principle Research Officer, DWP Luke Pickard, Research Officer, DWP Beth Atkinson, Higher Statistical Officer, DWP

1. Introduction

This report and the research underpinning the findings presented here, are part of a programme of work being conducted by DWP in response to the Race Disparity Audit. The audit published in October 2017, examines how people of different ethnicities are treated by public services. The purpose of the audit is to contribute to a better informed public debate about ethnicity in the UK, and indeed it highlights disparities that exist between different ethnicities.

For DWP the audit is linked to the Government’s commitment to increase Ethnic Minority employment by 20 per cent by 2020, which is part of the Government’s wider aim of building a country that works for everyone. Overall, recent figures at time of publication^{[footnote 1]} show that the Ethnic Minority employment rate of 65.5% is the highest it’s been since this series began in 2001. Conversely, the Ethnic Minority unemployment rate of 7.2% is the lowest it’s been since this series began in 2001. This compares with figures for the White population with the White employment rate of 77.0% being the highest it’s been since this series began in 2001 and the White unemployment rate of 3.8% being the lowest it’s been since this series began in 2001.

1.1. Labour market participation and income of ethnic groups

To provide context for the research which is the subject of this report, this section provides a brief overview of findings from the audit relating to employment, unemployment and income for ethnic groups.

1.1.1. Employment

For all ethnic groups, adults of working age (16-64) tend to be employed and employment rates have increased. However, there remains a substantial difference between the labour market participation of White British people (1 in 25 being unemployed) compared to around 1 in 10 adults from a Black, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Mixed background.

Moreover, whilst the inactivity rate for Pakistani and Bangladeshi people has decreased substantially since 2004, women from Pakistani and Bangladeshi background are still the least likely to be employed.^{[footnote 2]} Overall, those from Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds tend to be low skilled and in low paying occupations compared to other ethnic groups.

When looking at labour market participation by age, overall young people aged 16 to 24 are more likely to be unemployed or inactive compared to older adults. But within each age group the unemployment rate of White people is around half of that of most other ethnic groups.^{[footnote 3]}

Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) indicates that since 2012, the employment rates of young black men differ quite radically from those of young white men, although more recently there has been some improvement. Focusing on London, for example, the employment rate for young Black men was 56 per cent in 2013 compared to 81 per cent for young White men. More recent figures indicate that there is still a racial divide in employment rates; 71 per cent of young Black men in contrast to 85 per cent of young White men were employed in the period October 2015 to September 2016. Black male graduates in London were nearly twice as likely to be unemployed as their White counterparts, figures suggest. This is an important issue bearing in mind that young Black men comprise a substantial number of London’s population - more than 83,000 young men in London are from Black and mixed Black ethnic groups, making up about one in five of young men^{[footnote 4]}.

1.1.2 Income

Households headed by someone in Asian, Black or Other Ethnic groups tend to be in low income. Almost a half of these households had incomes in the bottom 40 per cent nationally before housing costs were taken into account.^{[footnote 5]}

1.1.3 Area based differences

As part of DWP’s further analysis of the data gathered for the Race Disparity Audit, 20 Local Authorities were identified across Great Britain as having the largest number of Ethnic Minority people that could be helped into employment. These are known as “challenge areas” – see Figure 1. They were selected by looking at a combination of the population and the employment rate gap (gap between White and Ethnic Minority employment rates). For each of these 20 Local Authority areas data has been gathered showing their key local labour market and related statistics to help get a better feel of the local issues, as they vary between areas (see Appendix 1).

1.1.4. Local developments to improve Ethnic Minority labour market participation

As well as providing more information, the purpose of identifying these challenge areas was to inform where improvements in service and delivery to Ethnic Minority groups would be most effective in terms of increasing their labour market participation. As Figure 1 indicates 2 further areas, Oldham and Sandwell, though not in the top 20 volunteered to be part of any new local developments.

New area based interventions in these areas have been introduced to tackle some of the key employment disparities highlighted by the audit. These include, for example, community engagement events bringing claimants together with a wide range of local and national employers in a neutral setting and mentoring circles where smaller numbers of employers work with groups of claimants over several sessions to help build individuals’ confidence and provide links to what employers are looking for from job applicants.

Figure 1 Top 20 Ethnic Minority employment challenge areas: July 2016 - June 2017

Position	Change on year	Local Authority	Region	Ethnic Minority Employed	Ethnic Minority Population	Ethnic Minority Employment Rate %	Employment Rate Gap % **	Ranking ***
		Great Britain		3,686,000	5,758,000	64	12
1	0	Birmingham	West Midlands	184,000	329,000	56	17	56,000
2	3	Newham	London	91,000	154,000	59	22	35,000
3	-1	Tower Hamlets	London	60,000	116,000	52	25	29,000
4	4 Redbridge	London	77,000	119,000	65	17	20,000
5	1 Hackney	London	52,000	84,000	61	21	18,000
6	9	Westminster	London	38,000	72,000	52	25	18,000
7	14	Islington	London	34,000	61,000	55	27	16,000
8	12	Southwark	London	69,000	105,000	66	16	16,000
9	-6	Ealing	London 75,000	111,000	68	15	16,000
10	-3	Bradford	Yorkshire & Humber	51,000	91,000	56	17	15,000
11	12	Glasgow City	Scotland	28,000	60,000	47	24	14,000
12	12	Harrow	London	58,000	84,000	68	17	14,000
13	14	Leicester	East Midlands	70,000	118,000	60	12	14,000
14	-10	Brent	London	90,000	141,000	64	10	13,000
15	1	Luton	East of England	38,000	64,000	59	20	13,000
16	-4	Waltham Forest	London	54,000	80,000	67	16	13,000
17	1	Manchester	North West	69,000	119,000	58	10	12,000
18	-5	Sheffield	Yorkshire & Humber	33,000	63,000	53 19	12,000
19	-9	Hounslow	London	72,000	104,000	69	11	11,000
20	47	Barnet	London	52,000	83,000	63	13	11,000
31	0	Oldham	North West	21,000	38,000	55	18	7,000
64	-32	Sandwell	West Midlands *	41,000	69,000	60	4	3,000

Notes

Source: Annual Population Survey: July 2016 to June 2017

Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand and nearest whole percent

Key

*“Smethwick JCP has volunteered and is within Sandwell LA, 4 miles from Birmingham City Centre Oldham JCP has volunteered and is within Greater Manchester”

**The gap is the difference between the White employment rate and Ethnic Minority employment rate

***The ranking is worked out by multiplying the gap by the population.

Previous work had focused on interventions to encourage employability through work DWP was already doing, for example, Universal Credit and the Work and Health Programme. These were open to all ethnic groups. Since the audit was published in 2017, DWP’s new area based work has taken a three-tiered approach to addressing the employment gap:

1. Maximising the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus activity in getting Ethnic Minority groups into work;

2. Building labour market knowledge and influencing the behaviour of Ethnic Minority groups; and

3. Influencing the behaviour of recruiting employers.

1.2. Qualitative research to identify Ethnic Minority labour market interventions

As part of the work to further develop area based interventions in the 20 hotspot areas, research was undertaken to examine interventions which already exist in these areas. The aims of this research were broadly to:

• identify best practice in hotspot areas, involving both Jobcentre Plus (JCP) and wider sources, for existing interventions which encourage members of the Ethnic Minority population to participate more effectively in the labour market.
• gather case studies if available.
• identify existing barriers to putting interventions in place and how these might be overcome.

1.2.1. Methodology

The research comprised two broad elements, a literature review and semi-structured telephone interviews.

Literature review – the literature on Ethnic Minority labour market participation, including barriers to participation is extensive. Furthermore, many recent reviews of the literature have been undertaken, particularly those connected with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. It was not the purpose of this research to duplicate existing reviews and therefore use has been made of existing reviews alongside our own limited review of literature.

Qualitative telephone interviews with Jobcentre staff – 22 Jobcentre areas were contacted (the top 20 challenge areas and the 2 volunteer areas) outlining the purposes of the research and asking if the researchers could be sent the contact details of a Jobcentre member of staff who would be willing to take part in a telephone interview with DWP researchers. We asked that Jobcentre staff taking part in the research would have good and up to date knowledge of existing interventions (at the time of interview) or interventions recently conducted, with any type of Ethnic Minority group. These interventions were to be those designed to encourage attendees to participate more effectively in employment, including supporting progression within the labour market.

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were held with Jobcentre staff between April and May 2018. Interviews were conducted with at least 1 individual in each area and sometimes with 2. Those taking part varied in terms of their job roles but most were Partnership Managers for their area. Partnership Managers work to build relationships with employers and other stakeholders in their areas and gather insight from them, to address barriers and maximise employment opportunities for DWP claimant groups.

Interviews lasted from around 20 minutes to generally around 1 hour. Taking part in the research was completely voluntary and participants were assured that they could change their mind at any time and did not have to answer any questions they did not wish to. With permission, the interviews were audio recorded using a Dictaphone to ensure that the information gathered was represented and interpreted correctly in the report. Interviewees were also assured of anonymity in the report. All recordings were transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach.

Limitations of the research approach – the research relied on the recollection of Jobcentre staff when talking about each intervention. Individuals may not always have been directly involved in the projects themselves and so would rely on information relayed to them by colleagues. Whilst further information was sometimes available, generally descriptions were high level and did not include details of how the intervention was run. To obtain more in-depth information further research is required, for example, site visits to existing projects and interviews with key workers. (This part of the research will be published separately). Also, it was not possible to obtain robust quantitative data of effectiveness as generally this was not collected or available to the researchers. Therefore any view of effectiveness from Jobcentre staff was anecdotal.

1.2.2. Structure of the report

The remainder of the report is structured as follows. This structure covers the main themes coming out of the research.

• research findings - overarching and cross cutting themes
• research findings – interventions for “stay at home” Ethnic Minority women
• research findings – interventions for young black men and gangs
• conclusions

2. Research findings - overarching and cross cutting themes

Research findings indicate an overarching difference in Jobcentre areas in terms of how provision for Ethnic Minority groups is delivered. In some Jobcentre areas there is generic provision – that is individual types of employment support are available to everyone regardless of ethnicity. In other areas, whilst this generic support is available there is also provision specifically directed towards particular groups within the Ethnic Minority community. This is looked at in more depth in the remainder of this chapter.

2.1. Generic versus specific provision

Where interviewees reported that their areas tended to only provide generic employment support, reasons for this varied.

2.1.1. Generic support - practical issues

Some interviewees mentioned largely practical issues for providing generic support. For example, that provision specific to Ethnic Minority groups would be difficult since Jobcentres do not collect Management Information (MI) that records ethnicity. This means that referrals to providers would be based purely on assumptions of claimant’s ethnicity, and some individuals may be left out as it is not easy to identify them as belonging to a specific ethnic group. Also, it would be difficult to check if providers have recruited the total number of Ethnic Minority individuals they were contracted to, because the lack of MI means the Jobcentre cannot check this.

…someone may be BME and you don’t know they are because they look White, so it’s very complex you know? And that’s why for providers they can’t do solely BME provision.

…BMEs [customers], don’t identify themselves at the point of claim they’re not identified within the system necessarily….so it makes it difficult to create provision with some certainty that’s gonna target that particular group because they are not identified.

A further practical reason for supplying only generic provision is that where there are high concentrations of people from ethic minority groups in a particular area, then any provision would automatically be directed towards the Ethnic Minority community.

To help build staff capability in focussing on ethnicity DWP have introduced new targeted classroom training, workshops and internal communications. These are being used to provide targeted support and develop local solutions to improve Ethnic Minority employment outcomes.

2.1.2. Generic support – disadvantage is not limited to the Ethnic Minority population

A further reason for not having provision specific to Ethnic Minority groups, is that “disadvantage” and its associated issues such as the cultural norms of certain disadvantaged groups or areas and family based influences structure labour market participation and this affects both White and non-White people (see 2.1.4).

…when you look at youth employment in this city it is not er necessarily that you are more disadvantaged by being from a BME community than you are if you’re White. For example, White boys are very disadvantaged in the labour market because of skills, social competencies, family experience. So really I’m, I’m pretty BME blind when I’m looking at what, what I need to provide. I’m looking at the rounder holistic picture of what is the disadvantage that this particular cohort or this particular child is encountering.

…… and so you know ethnicity is not the issue. It is, you know, cultural mobility and aspiration but if you come from a family who are not educated and who may have been in and out of work however bright and focused you are the likes of (large consultancy) their recruitment process would just make it impossible for you to get in.

2.1.3. Specific support – tailoring support to need

Jobcentre areas which provided support that was specific to or focused mainly on Ethnic Minority groups (as well as providing generic support for all ethnicities) did so because there is an awareness that:

• limited English language skills would make it difficult for some members of the Ethnic Minority community to attend generic support. Hence basic English language classes were provided prior to formal ESOL (see 2.2.1).
• specific cultural barriers affect some Ethnic Minority women where there is an expectation that they should stay in the home caring for the family and not enter employment (see Chapter 3).
• high levels of unemployment affect young Black men (including those involved in or on the periphery of gang violence) and so more focused provision is required to overcome these issues.
• Jobcentre staff interviewed in this research recognised that a complicated set of factors underpins the disparity in employment between White people and members of the Ethnic Minority communities. Hence there is a need to provide employment support that takes account of these. The next section looks briefly at the wider literature around some of these issues.

2.1.4. Barriers to labour market participation

The findings from a recent review of the literature [^6] seem to back up the above views of Jobcentre interviewees that issues related to disadvantage, family background and education, racial discrimination and culture all play a part in structuring the labour market position of Ethnic Minority people.

The review states that there are numerous reasons for the labour market disadvantage of Ethnic Minority young people, although it is difficult to know which factor is more important than another. Social background has been shown to have a significant impact on outcomes in terms of early labour market experience, later occupation and earnings. Education can reduce differences in employment and may play a more significant role than social background. However, whilst some Ethnic Minority groups may achieve higher qualifications they are also under represented in intermediate occupations.

Social connections and networks are important in supporting labour market participation. Advice from family and friends on job vacancies and the application process can aid labour market participation. However, those from poorer backgrounds can be disadvantaged where, for example, parents may not be able to help young people into well-paid work. Evidence suggests that disadvantaged Ethnic Minority people may benefit from having access to more diverse social networks. For example, if they have access to people from a higher socio-economic background they can provide information, resources and opportunities to improve circumstances.^{[footnote 7]}

Discrimination and racism may also reinforce employment disadvantage, for example, when entering the labour market. DWP research has provided evidence of discrimination by employers in the recruitment process. Jobs were advertised across seven British cities for various types of employment, using names associated with ethnic groups and White people. This showed that 74 per cent more applications needed to be sent by Ethnic Minority candidates to be successful compared to their White counterparts.^{[footnote 8]}

2.2. Cross cutting themes

When interviewees for this research talked about interventions to support members of the Ethnic Minority community into employment, a number of themes were mentioned in connection with providing this support. These are:

• effectiveness of ESOL
• working with the local community
• up-skilling Jobcentre work coaches

2.2.1 Effectiveness of ESOL

Interviews suggest that whilst ESOL is widely available across Jobcentre areas, the demand can outweigh the supply. It was also considered that ESOL is not effective (especially at entry level) for some claimants and that some customers repeatedly return to Jobcentres after attending an ESOL course only to be sent back again as their English has not improved.

Well we, we just have an experience of people going to ESOL, but they just erm, you know, persist in coming back to us without having learned very much.

The research suggests various reasons for the lack of improvement in Ethnic Minority claimant’s English after attending an ESOL course. These include:

• where a claimant is not literate in their own language, learning English and being asked to write in English language at ESOL level 1 may be too difficult
• where is limited opportunity in a classroom situation to practice speaking English when everyone else is not able to do so
• some individuals attending ESOL courses may not experience effective monitoring of their progress at Jobcentres, so may not be directed toward the support that is appropriate for them
• the incentive to learn English is limited if Ethnic Minority people cannot see a link between learning English and gaining employment. This may occur:

1. Where an Ethnic Minority person brings a friend or relative with them to translate, when they first attend the Jobcentre. However, translation may be limited and not go into sufficient detail, for example;

Someone starts a Jobseekers Allowance claim. They’re not able to speak English, they’ll bring a friend or a relative, sometimes a minor in to do the interpretation for them. … so the essence and some, some key messages can be lost in that. And that’ll be at the start of the claim. So someone will try to do erm, a, a Jobseekers Allowance claim, not necessarily knowing what their own obligations are from day one. Now we do have something we call Big Word which is a interpreting service and, but the thing is you have to book these appointments, they’re not ad hoc and you’re subject to someone being able to interpret in the language that you require for a specific appointment time. And it can be quite erm, difficult and challenging, which is why some work coaches have been allowing…persons who have got a personal relationship with these customers become the interpreter for them.

2. Where traditionally, due to cultural reasons, there has been no expectation for some Ethnic Minority women to obtain paid employment but rather to remain in the home. English is therefore not seen as something they would use, even outside of the home in non-employment situations, as those may also be limited.

Effectiveness of ESOL for Ethnic Minority women

The literature provides examples of evaluations which have been conducted to look at the effectiveness of ESOL with Ethnic Minority women. The following example suggests that ESOL may be effective in helping Ethnic Minority women with low levels of English to improve their English language skills, but this appears to depend on providing intensive courses and having very motivated learners. As seen below, the intensity of the course may be a barrier to attending due to family commitments.

Community Based English Language provision (CBEL) - an evaluation^{[footnote 9]} of Community Based English Language provision (CBEL) indicated that English speaking, reading and writing significantly improved for those attending the course compared to a comparison group. This type of community based English language provision appears to have been effective with participants who were from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Somalian communities and had low levels of English i.e. pre-entry level or entry level 1 in any one or more of speaking, reading or writing as defined by ESOL classification criteria. The course was delivered in community settings such as community centres to appeal to those who would not normally access support in a more formal setting. However, those attending were very motivated to learn English. Also, the course was intensive with learners being expected to attend three sessions a week. Most teachers agreed this was conducive to learning a language but it was also a challenge for some people to attend with such frequency. Childcare and family illness were cited as the main reason for non-attendance.

The following example, looks at the effectiveness of ESOL helping women into employment. The evaluation of the London City Strategy ESOL pilot demonstrates improvements in job search and understanding of the labour market. However, for those who were further from the labour market or for cultural reasons did not want to work - this ESOL pilot was less effective. Providers considered that the journey to employment would extend beyond the pilot, hence continued support for a longer period of time was required.

The London City Strategy ESOL Pilot - this was designed to show how work-focused ESOL can support access to sustainable employment for people who speak English as an additional language. Those attending the pilots were largely women aged 20 to 45 and were mainly of Black or Asian origin. These individuals faced a number of barriers to gaining employment including low levels spoken and written English and lack of vocational skills and qualifications.

The evaluation of this pilot^{[footnote 10]} describes how courses lasted around 10 to 15 weeks with varying hours of attendance per week depending on need. Courses were flexible to cater for childcare requirements. All the ESOL programmes had a strong emphasis on employability, for example, language and vocabulary focused on that which was suitable for writing a curriculum vitae (CV), and letters of application. Some programmes offered IT training and a member of staff supported learners into employment, for example, helping them look for vacancies and preparing for interviews.

Participants reported that the main outcome for them was an increase in confidence in speaking English, improvements in job search skills and a better understanding of the labour market. However, where individuals were not job ready and were some distance from the labour market or were reluctant to work perhaps due to cultural reasons or lack of confidence, providers found it difficult to progress individuals into work (lasting for at least 13 weeks).

Jobcentre Plus interventions around ESOL

Some interviewees mentioned that their areas were providing “pre-ESOL” courses to members of the Ethnic Minority community with no or very poor English skills and who would find ESOL Level 1 too advanced. These courses could be provided by suppliers or by the Jobcentre staff themselves who were of the same ethnic group and understood the language and cultural barriers.

The case study below looks at English language provision which includes an employment element. However, this starts with pre-ESOL and when the individual is ready extends the support as part of staged progression in English language proficiency leading to employment.

Case study: ESOL - staged progression

One area has worked with the local college to have ESOL courses with staged progression. Learners with very limited English start a very basic entry level and then move up gradually at their own pace – progressing from the basic “pre-ESOL” level through to ESOL levels 1, 2 and

By level 3 learners should be capable of looking for jobs and are able to apply. The college provides an adviser team to support learners into employment, apprenticeships or further training. Learners also have access to job fayres promoted at the college.

Many learners are single parents who are caring for young children – so the college has been flexible ensuring learning takes place around times when parents to not have to take or collect children from school.

2.2.2. Working with the local community

This research demonstrates how Jobcentres are making links with local Ethnic Minority communities to support Ethnic Minority people into the labour market. It also highlights how these communities play a large role in contributing towards the delivery of labour market interventions for Ethnic Minority groups.

Jobcentres making links with the local community

Making links with local Ethnic Minority communities was seen to provide a number of benefits. These include:

• Jobcentre staff becoming more aware of the culture of Ethnic Minority groups and their barriers to employment;
• Providing members of the Ethnic Minority community with information about courses and other interventions which exist to support their progression in the labour market and;
• Encouraging members of Ethnic Minority communities to use Jobcentres and feel more confident in doing so.

In some instances interviewees described how members of Ethnic Minority groups were invited into Jobcentres where, for example, the Jobcentre was holding an event as in the example below.

Case study: Inviting the Ethnic Minority community into Jobcentres

One area held an event where providers of support for Ethnic Minority groups were invited into the Jobcentre for one morning. During the first hour Jobcentre staff were able to talk to providers in order to enhance their knowledge about the different types of provision available for their customers. During the next two hours members of the Ethnic Minority community, including leaders of local Mosques and community groups, were invited in to talk to providers and Jobcentre staff. The interviewee considered that the event and networking had a positive impact on customers’ knowledge and the up-skilling and understanding of staff.

“…I spoke to both the guys from the mosque and they were saying how much more comfortable people in that culture were approaching people at the Mosque and sharing even as far as medical conditions before they go to a G.P. So the chances of them sharing important information, relevant information with us…was even less so and how we could work together, if, if we had those relationships in place, they could recommend the Jobcentre as a place to go for some support as well.”

Other examples were provided of Jobcentres going out into local communities and working in community centres, libraries, online centres or churches. Whilst anyone could attend, this type of outreach work provides support to Ethnic Minority people who may feel uncomfortable going into a Jobcentre.

…we felt that some customers may be sort of reluctant to open up as much in a Jobcentre… we feel that we might get a bit more information, a bit more sort of diagnostics out in the community centres rather than within the Jobcentres.

Case study: Jobcentre Outreach – job clubs in “Black” churches

One area runs job clubs in churches which have congregations of people who are of predominantly Afro-Caribbean descent. The job clubs occur once a week at the churches. There are computers to access job vacancies as well as paper copies of these. Members of the church provide peer support to help those who are not computer literate and Jobcentre staff attend when requested.

Ethnic Minority communities contributing towards labour market interventions

Examples were given of where employment support is provided within local communities, sometimes by local Ethnic Minority providers. This type of support is often directed towards Ethnic Minority women who would traditionally be expected to care for the family and not enter employment (see Chapter 3). But, as in the example below, may be open to all ethnicities, whilst focusing on those from an Ethnic Minority background due to high proportions of Ethnic Minority groups living in the community.

Provision on a deprived estate – supporting young people towards employment

One provider has a “hub” on a deprived estate in London. They work with young men and women including those involved in/or on the periphery of gangs. Many of these young people have limited skills and qualifications. The aim, where possible, is to support young people into “turning their lives around”, to gain qualifications, skills and employment. This intervention includes team building and getting young people off the streets and away from the estate e.g. on holidays (which many would never before have had) in order to gain a wider perspective. Being based in the community was considered by the interviewee to be a positive factor:

“…when they’re based within the community they, they feel more safe going there, they’re more confident in going there rather than you know going elsewhere or having to travel. I think they just feel more, more at ease if they’ve got something quite central and as I say within, within their reach, within the community.”

The wider literature – importance of working with Ethnic Minority communities

The importance of working with local Ethnic Minority communities, as described above, has also been outlined by commentators discussing ethnic minorities and employment.

For example, one paper suggests that policy and practice needs to be developed by and with people from Ethnic Minority groups in order to ensure awareness of the differing needs of various Ethnic Minority groups.^{[footnote 11]} This may take place through joint working or consultation with community groups, good knowledge of labour market information and knowledge of the culture, experiences and needs of Ethnic Minority groups.

2.2.3. Up-skilling Jobcentre work coaches

Some interviewees in this research argued that there is a need to up-skill work coaches. In the context of this research they considered that this should be around developing more of an understanding of the culture and needs of Ethnic Minority people which may enhance delivery. For example, one interviewee explained how a young Black man might refuse to go to a certain Jobcentre. Unless you knew the culture and why that might be e.g. the young person could be/could have been involved in gang culture and wants to avoid the area as he is “known”.

…You could have a young person…and they may say…I can’t go to [Location given] Jobcentre…and they may be a bit coy around you, not necessarily wanting you to know that they’re involved in that lifestyle…So you would need to know, you can’t just say to the young person well if you can’t sign on at the Jobcentre, well that’s tough then. You need to know…

Jobcentres up-skilling staff to increase awareness of Ethnic Minority issues

This section looks at examples provided by this research, of how Jobcentres are tackling the issue of up-skilling work coaches. One Jobcentre area has a high proportion of refugees. Up-skilling has taken the form of presentations from the Refugee Council and Jobcentre staff who have experience of working with refugees. This provided Jobcentre staff with insight into cultural issues e.g. women not being comfortable coming into the Jobcentre and dealing with certain members of staff and previous negative experiences of authority which may affect how they view Jobcentre Plus.

The work coach will realise that language is going to be an issue. But what we didn’t realise was the impact on certain people of trying to engage with our services. For example, females coming from certain countries may not be erm, comfortable coming into the Jobcentre, they may not be comfortable dealing with certain members of staff etcetera. Other issues we have faced were that DWP could be perceived, depending on where people have come from, what their experiences are. And to try and break down the barriers to tell our customers look, we’re here to help you find work and we’re here to support you…

The example below looks at how one area is using employment statistics, local knowledge and Ethnic Minority staff experiences to up-skill its workforce.

Case study: Enhancing awareness of Ethnic Minority cultural differences and experiences

In one district groups of staff from the varying Jobcentres have been set up to examine Ethnic Minority employment figures. They have been tasked with identifying the characteristics of the Ethnic Minority group in each Jobcentre site and the main barriers to employment. They have also identified personalised support suitable for the various groups to “home in on the actual issue, rather than a generic issue”.

A further part of this initiative is the development of Ethnic Minority role models in Jobcentre Plus. This has generated increased involvement from Ethnic Minority Jobcentre staff. The recognition that some barriers to Ethnic Minority employment may be language or cultural led Ethnic Minority staff to raise awareness with White staff about these issues. For example, Ethnic Minority staff talked to their White colleagues in their “own” language to explain what it feels like to come into a Jobcentre and not be able to understand the work coach.

The wider literature – views of Jobcentre staff by Ethnic Minority groups

Qualitative research conducted with Jobcentre customers in 2010,^{[footnote 12]} explored the experiences of Ethnic Minority customers using Jobcentre Plus services. When looking at treatment by Jobcentre staff, there were mixed responses across all ethnic groups but generally few differences across Ethnic Minority groups or between Ethnic Minority and White customers. However, the research reported inconsistency between staff in terms of skills, attitudes and the extent to which the service was customer focused and personalised. Ongoing development and training of staff to emphasise the importance of their skills was recommended.

2.3. Summary

• Jobcentres provide both “generic” support - that is support available to all ethnicities and support which is specific to or mainly focused on certain Ethnic Minority groups.
• Where more specific support exists this is provided in order to try to overcome certain barriers to employment e.g. very limited/non-existent English language, cultural barriers to employment affecting some Ethnic Minority women and low levels of employment and particular barriers affecting young Black men.
• ESOL is not viewed as effective (especially at entry level) for all claimants who could repeatedly “cycle” to and from ESOL classes. In part this may be due to claimants not being effectively monitored by Jobcentres and being sent to classes which are too advanced for them and also where claimants do not really understand their obligations towards employment.
• research shows that for Ethnic Minority women ESOL can be effective, but tends to be where there are intensive courses and motivated learners. Some Jobcentres are overcoming these issues by providing pre-ESOL – that is very basic English language courses prior to level 1 ESOL. Where progression is staged – claimants can move on to the next level once they have improved.
• some Jobcentres are making links with local Ethnic Minority communities to support Ethnic Minority people into the labour market. This may involve inviting the local community into Jobcentres which can contribute to up-skilling staff, working in the local community to more effectively reach Ethnic Minority groups and using local community providers to ensure that the needs of specific Ethnic Minority groups are taken into account.
• some Jobcentres are also up-skilling work coaches by inviting groups with awareness of the barriers, culture and experiences of Ethnic Minority groups to share this insight with Jobcentre staff.

3. “Stay at home” Ethnic Minority women

As discussed previously (see 2.1.3), provision exists in Jobcentre Plus challenge areas which is specifically directed towards particular groups within the Ethnic Minority community. One group identified in this research is Ethnic Minority women who would traditionally be expected to remain in the home caring for the family and not participate in the labour market. This chapter looks in more depth at the type of provision highlighted by interviewees.

3.1. Barriers to employment for “stay at home” Ethnic Minority women

Barriers to employment for Ethnic Minority people have already been discussed in Chapter 2. For example, factors associated with “disadvantage” such as friends and family who are not able to help young people into well paid employment, discrimination from employers (2.1.4) and lack of English providing further limitations to accessing work (2.2.1).

Interviewees for this research were also aware of cultural issues that may affect some Ethnic Minority women and limit their ability to gain employment. They spoke of how some Ethnic Minority women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somalian and Kurdish backgrounds do not necessarily engage with the Jobcentre. In part this is because of cultural issues such as not being expected to participate in the labour market but remain in the home as the primary carer for younger and older members of the family.

3.1.1. Barriers to employment – wider literature

Barriers to employment for Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Somalian women are well documented. This section will very briefly consider some of these issues. Employment and cultural expectations may be linked to religion. ONS data has shown that 9 in 10 people identifying as Pakistani and Bangladeshi also identified as Muslim.[^]13 The Casey Review reports that Muslim women may face higher unemployment due to cultural expectations over the roles of women. Data from the Understanding Society survey, for example, found that 38 per cent of Muslims think that “husbands should do work, wives should stay at home”.^{[footnote 14]}

Similarly, a recent report^{[footnote 15]} looks at Bedford’s approach to integration. The report notes that with regard to Asian-Muslim women - household responsibilities, very low levels of confidence, traditional views of women’s role in the family and little understanding of the options available combined to inhibit many from engaging in wider Bedford society. Low levels of confidence meant that “engaging with public services, going somewhere on their own, approaching authority figures or travelling to an unfamiliar part of the town were simply too intimidating” for these women.

It has been suggested that social segregation can reinforce cultural norms including that women’s role is to be the main carer rather than a “breadwinner” for some ethnic groups.^{[footnote 16]} Migrants, especially Pakistanis and to a lesser degree East African Asians, tend to be those most likely to be socially segregated. Qualitative research with Pakistani and Bangladeshi women found that generally the influence of generational and migrational background on attitudes and expectations was strong. However, second and third generation women tend to hold less traditional views than their older relatives, in terms of education and employment. It is now becoming more the norm to marry and have children later and therefore take up employment.^{[footnote 17]}

Employment may be further constrained by cultural and religious preferences in attitudes towards caring for children and older relatives. Formal childcare may be limited in Pakistani and Somali individuals by parent’s emphasis on transmitting cultural values and practices to their children.^{[footnote 18]} Affordability of childcare may be a further factor limiting employment. Research has shown that few Pakistani and Somali individuals were aware of free childcare or the support available for disabled children and older relatives.^{[footnote 19]} Furthermore, South Asian families (including Pakistani/Bangladeshi) are more likely to have larger families and therefore childcare is costly and difficult to organise.^{[footnote 20]}

3.2. Interventions to enhance employability for “stay at home” Ethnic Minority women

This section describes interventions for Ethnic Minority women who traditionally would be expected to stay at home as primary carers. Those interviewed for this research, provided examples which are largely about reducing the effects of segregation and low levels of confidence, discussed above and integrating these women into wider society.

The example below describes provision for Ethnic Minority women who are far from the labour market. It is provided in their community to encourage these women to attend.

Case study: gaining commitment to participate by providing a social situation

In this example, those attending the provision are largely Pakistani and Somalian women. It is run in the community in a church by women (White and from an Ethnic Minority group). The provision has a large social element where those attending are encouraged to build relationships with the other women and engage in social activities such as sewing and tai chi. Commitment to attend is gained by making this a social situation, enabling basic employment related topics to be gradually introduced so that women will not lose interest and drop out of the course.

“But she does seem to get that commitment by turning it into a social situation rather than an employment situation, do you understand?”

The following example is also provided for women who are far from the labour market. Whilst using social settings to help integrate these women into society, it provides more of an emphasis on speaking English as well as basic employment information and activities. It also attempts to overcome childcare issues which may be a barrier to participation and subsequent employment.

Case study: empowering Ethnic Minority women

This provision takes place in two community centres. Those attending are “Asian” women who would not be expected to participate in the labour market. The course aims to empower these women to make steps towards employment. It runs a conversation club where women are encouraged to speak English whilst in the group. Other activities are designed to aid integration and confidence outside of the household e.g. visiting a restaurant to have lunch and socialise.

Talks are given about job and training opportunities in the area and “very basic” IT classes are provided by the local college. Women with children under the age of 5 are able to access free childcare.

The following example describes provision for Ethnic Minority women, including Pakistani and Bangladeshi women, who whilst some way from being able to obtain employment are not as far from the labour market as the individuals in the above two case studies. Even so, it is about moving these Ethnic Minority women closer to the labour market not about actually getting them into work.

Case study: moving towards work

This course took place in a formal class room setting and aimed to try to motivate Ethnic Minority women to start thinking about employment. They were encouraged to familiarise themselves with the job market, know where vacancies occurred and visit employers. English language support was provided including that associated with employment such as health and safety. Support was given to ensure attendees were ready for work in terms of registering with the health services and links were made with childcare.

Following this provision, the aim was that attendees would be ready to make the next step towards employment which depended on the individual but might be more advanced ESOL, further support or work experience.

The above examples are not necessarily original. A report from 2006^{[footnote 21]} discusses the role of community centres in providing sewing clubs and other activities to help integrate Pakistani and Bangladeshi women into society and develop more of an awareness of the labour market. However, they demonstrate how this type of intervention could be developed as staged progression – starting with support to help lessen segregation and help these women feel part of wider society. As confidence grows this could lead to support around basic English and employment.

3.3. Summary of “stay at home” Ethnic Minority women

• some Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Somalian and Kurdish women may find it difficult to take part in wider society and enter employment. In part this may be due to the effects of segregation and cultural attitudes where they are expected to stay at home and care for younger and older members of the household. Employment may be further constrained by cultural and religious preferences towards caring for children and older relatives as well as practical issues such as affordability of childcare.
• examples were provided of support which aims to tackle the effects of segregation. These take place in the community and provide a social situation where Ethnic Minority women can build relationships with others and gain confidence.
• other support is available which aims to empower women to take steps towards employment e.g. by introducing basic English and familiarising themselves with the job market.

4. Young Black men, including those associated with gang violence

Young Black men and those involved in or on the edges of gang violence, are two further groups identified in the research as having employment related provision specifically directed towards them. Whilst not all young people involved in gangs are Black, those young people discussed in this research tended to be. This is because those interviewees who talked about this issue, were from challenge areas in which there were high proportions of Black people living in them i.e. London areas. Interviewees in this research were aware of high levels of unemployment for young Black men in their areas and specific barriers to employment experienced by this group.

This chapter firstly looks at the type of provision available for young Black men and then goes on to consider issues related to gang violence.

4.1. Barriers to employment for young Black men

Many barriers to employment experienced by Ethnic Minority groups have already been discussed in Chapter 2. For example these include, discrimination from employers, lack of social networks to aid job search etc, poor English language and limited understanding of cultural constraints from work coaches.

The literature also provides insight into how these barriers are experienced by young Black men. One report^{[footnote 22]}, for example, provides findings from action research carried out by the Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) in 2013/2014. The majority (88 per cent) of young black men taking part in an online survey said that they were ‘trying very hard or quite hard to find a job’, but whilst all had applied for work in the previous 6 months 46 per cent had not been shortlisted. The majority identified racism, discrimination and negative stereotyping as the main reasons why young Black men experience such high unemployment rates.

Interviewees in this research recognised that negative views of young black men portrayed in society may affect their self-esteem and behaviour in the labour market – contributing towards lower participation in employment.

…if you’re a, a young black person and having in all sorts of views around so-societies er, perception of you and, and so your perception of society. The minute you have an employer that you know, says well actually you press button B mate not button A, is the minute you might think well hang on, I’m, I’m off then if that’s your attitude…

The BTEG report also highlights that trying to obtain employment is particularly hard when those taking part in the research felt they were resisting peer pressure to follow this route rather than an alternative path into gangs and crime. They felt isolated from their peers, unsupported in their efforts to ’do the right thing’, and reported mixed but mainly poor experiences of support from Jobcentre Plus and Work Programme providers.

4.2. Interventions to enhance employability of young Black men

Interviewees in the London areas mentioned that young Black men in their areas had participated in support provided by some of the organisations taking part in the Moving on Up initiative. The Moving on Up initiative (MoU) Phase 1 ran from 2015 to 2017 and was funded by Trust for London and City Bridge Trust, in partnership with BTEG. Its aims were to increase employment rates among young Black men in London by funding initiatives that improve the support provided to them. Phase 2 started in 2017 and will run to late 2020. The aim of this phase are to provide replicable models of support that could work in other areas and with other Ethnic Minority groups.

Detail is provided in the MoU evaluation report of the types of support provided in Phase 1 and the findings of the evaluation.^{[footnote 23]} In brief, 6 organisations were awarded grants (Action West London, Step Ahead, Elevations Networks, Hackney CVS, London Youth and Making the Leap). These provided a range of differing support e.g. Action West London and Step Ahead used recruitment agency models, focusing directly on skills to apply for jobs and brokering specific employment opportunities with employers. Others e.g. London Youth provided on the job work experience, whilst Making the Leap provided group based work and one to one support to build confidence and skills.

The evaluation of MoU found that the success rate of getting young Black men into paid work was comparable to similar programmes in the field. Its biggest impact was on participants’ attitude, confidence and understanding of work. Whilst some improvement was seen in career direction and more practical job application skills, MoU’s impact was driven more by psychological outcomes – with young Black men being more motivated, confident, and aware.

Going forward, one issue that was highlighted was that to help young Black men into employment requires “demand side” issues to be addressed as well tackling the “supply side issues”. However, engaging with employers was a challenge for MoU projects throughout the initiative. Also focusing both on hard outcomes and learning was a tricky balancing act, whilst broadly speaking this was a success, this may be particularly hard for projects

4.2.1. Example of support from this study

The following example looks at an initiative which was open to all ethnicities but focused on young Black men.

Case study: helping young Black men into self-employment

This initiative was run by a charity. It aimed to take individual’s existing skills and develop these so that they could be used in an employment context - particularly self-employment. For example, one person was talented in spray painting. This talent was directed towards spray painting cars so that employment was gained as a contractor spraying cars for a car dealership.

This support included mentoring in terms of improving CVs and interview techniques as well as helping participants to recognise their existing skills.

4.3. Young Black men and gangs

A number of London challenge areas mentioned the issue of gangs and members of the Black community either being involved in, or on the edges of, gang violence. Working with this group entails supporting employability where possible. For example:

(name of area) we do have and it’s sort of topical at the moment a problem with gangs, gangs and postcodes and people moving about and you know we have various provision that supports that and there is particular provision that’s targeted …particularly aimed at gangs and the Black community…and it’s really aimed at erm, supporting people about awareness of jobs and opportunities rather than sort of going down that route of you know er, gang culture..

Why do people and young Black men join gangs? - in 2016, 78 per cent of suspects on the metropolitan police’s gang matrix database were Black, despite them only making up 13 per cent of London’s population^{[footnote 24]}. Equally, Black men disproportionately end up as the victims of deadly gang violence. As such, it is important to understand why young Black men in particular are joining gangs. The literature generally points to poverty, unemployment, lack of family and social support, marginalisation and a feeling of disenfranchisement all working together to leave the most deprived young Black men in society at risk of joining gangs. Being a member of a gang, in its turn, obstruct paths to gaining meaningful employment and so being able to leave that way of life.

4.3.1. Getting young Black men out of gangs and into employment

Gaining employment for young Black men in gangs can contribute towards facilitating gang exit. However, this is not a straight forward process and is most likely to be sustainable if ongoing support is provided.^{[footnote 25]} “Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation” ^{[footnote 26]} sets out the Government’s refreshed approach to tacking gang related violence and exploitation and six government priorities for the future. One of these “Promoting meaningful alternatives to gangs such as education, training and employment” focuses on moving young people towards education, training and employability as a “meaningful alternative” to gang violence”. This outlines various policy initiatives and programmes aimed towards achieving this.

4.3.2 Examples of support from this study

This section looks at support which is provided by DWP Jobcentre employees to young people involved in or on the edges of gang violence. The first looks at the work of a community engagement adviser’s role. Community engagement advisers are primarily located in London (although there are others elsewhere in the country). They may work in an outreach role, for example in this research, taking part in a Local Authority drop-in centre or working with a local charity that supports young people in an area known to have gangs. DWP’s focus remains on work, education and training as an alternative to gang involvement.

In areas where there is gang violence, the community engagement adviser’s role can play an important part in helping young people as in the case study below.

Case study: work of a DWP community engagement adviser

In this example the community engagement adviser builds relationships with those in other organisations who work with young people involved in gangs e.g. Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), Probations Services, Social Services and Police. These organisations may then contact the community engagement adviser and put this individual in touch with young people aged 18 to 25 that they are concerned about and ask for the community engagement adviser’s intervention.

The community engagement adviser tries to build a rapport with individual young people and eventually their friends so that the adviser is known and trusted by the gang. This is because the adviser can offer the young something positive e.g. if they are not on benefit helping them to receive this. But the community engagement advisers can also offer a means of getting out of the gang and helping these young people move on with their lives e.g. by training, employment or help with housing etc.

“…you win them over and then they might start talking to their friends who haven’t quite got to that stage and that’s what it is, it’s about that Gang Adviser, not, I don’t want to say infiltrating the gang but they kind of become someone they trust. And that’s because unlike everyone else who is helping them; the Police the gangs feel are just looking for a reason to arrest them, the YOT are looking for a reason to send them back down and get them off their list. But a DWP Officer can actually say - look if you do this I can help you get an apprenticeship, I can talk to housing and get you out of the Borough – you understand?”

The community engagement adviser initially works with the young person to help them understand their responsibilities when claiming benefits e.g. if they make a claim for benefit they must attend their appointments. Support is offered e.g. helping them to have I.D. and talking to the work coaches so they understand the young person’s particular issues. Once the young person is seen to be complying with this and are financially stable, the community engagement adviser will work to “broker” opportunities. For example, if the young person showed commitment and spent three days a week at an apprenticeship the community engagement advisers would then be prepared to “call in favours” with other organisations to move them out of the area, into another and away from those who are “exploiting them”.

The community engagement adviser also works with the families of those involved in gangs to provide support because as the interviewee says “when you deal with a young person who is affected sometimes by youth violence you realise that it’s not just their problem, it’s a family problem.”

In the following example the Jobcentre Plus employee sits on the local authority led Integrated Gang Unit which involves other agencies e.g. the police and probation services to better support people that are at risk of, or have been actively involved in, gang violence.

Case study: helping to provide education training and employment opportunities

Young Black people are referred to the interviewee from the probation services or Youth Offending Service. This may involve young people who are Not in Education, Employment and Training (NEET) and are involved in criminal activities such as drug dealing or involved in gang violence.

Where the young person is 18 plus, the interviewee works with them on a one to one basis, building a rapport so that they can build an agreement on the young person’s journey to work. Support may involve e.g. sourcing connections with various providers for training, “calling in favours” for this and drafting applications.

“Okay right, …I would have built up some sort of rapport and trust with that young person. And you, to be honest with you, you kind of get to know where their mind set is, so you get a combination of young people. You’ll get some 18 year olds that I work with were just not ready, or just said I’m not ready, I’m quite happy to stay at home, chill with my mates and do what I’ve got to do. Then you might get a more an er, a mature 18 year old who thinks, you know what, I’ve been mucking around for most of life, since I left college, I don’t really quite know what I want to do. Can we sit down together and work out a plan of what I might want to do. So I might say to them well do you have any grades and they might say well yeah I’ve got 5 GSCEs and I say well we could, we could look into an apprenticeship..”

However, this interviewee also pointed out that young Black men in this area who are far from the labour market, have limited educational opportunities, hold negative views of Jobcentre Plus and are aware of racial stereotyping in society - will need further support. This is not just from work coaches but from other organisations such as from voluntary and community groups in order to provide resilience building, mentoring and coaching. To an extent this interviewee tries to provide extra support e.g. accompanying young people to interviews.

The following example looks at outreach work with young people on the edges of gang violence or already involved in gangs

Case study: community outreach to young people on the periphery of gang violence

This interviewee is a member of the local authority outreach programme. This involves going out into the community to reach young people e.g. in youth clubs or parts of the borough where “young people hang out”. As someone who lives in the borough the interviewee knows where this is likely to be. This individual may also be familiar with certain young people in the group making access the rest easier. The aim is to provide another way to access young people to help them into education, training or employment.

“…we’ll go into the group or you know you might know 1 or 2 people in the group and that makes it easier to approach the group. And you can just ask them what do they do, and they might laugh it off, I don’t do nothing, I’m alright, or some might say well I’m looking to go to college can you help me, and even some people in the group may tell you that’s the guy from the Jobcentre. Yeah they might be able to help you get a job. So you get to know young people especially if they’re, if they want the help, they might speak to their friend who’s working or used to be involved, and word gets around through, you know who does Outreach and you just, you just meet people.”

4.4. Summary of young Black men, including those associated with gang violence

• some young Black men may find it difficult to obtain employment due to barriers they experience such as racism, employer discrimination and the effects of negative stereotyping.
• young Black men in this research appear to have taken part in the Moving on Up initiative which aimed to increase the employment rates of young Black men in London by funding a range of differing types of interventions.
• young Black men may be involved in gang violence. Employment may be a way out of this lifestyle and the research has demonstrated various interventions aimed at moving those involved in, or at the edges of gang violence, towards employability.
• case studies include the work of a community engagement adviser and a member of the local authority led Integrated Gang Unit and an outreach worker. All appear to try to build trust and rapport with these young people to enable them to then move on to talking about further opportunities.

APPENDIX 1: Summary Labour Market Data for the 20 Challenge Areas

Birmingham

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Birmingham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	64.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	7.8%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	30.0%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Birmingham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	55.1%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	44.9%	14.6%
Black	9.2%	3.3%
Indian	6.3%	2.9%
Mixed	2.2%	1.3%
Other	3.4%	2.0%
Other Asian	2.7%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	21.2%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Birmingham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	73.6%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	53.6%	64.9%
Black	55.1%	66.8%
Indian	61.2%	74.4%
Mixed	63.4%	67.9%
Other	56.9%	61.7%
Other Asian	50.3%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	49.5%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Birmingham Per cent (%)	GB Per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	31.4%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	50.4%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	65.4%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	76.6%	85.4%
Other qualifications	10.8%	6.9%
No qualifications	12.6%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Newham

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Newham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	69.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	5.8%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	26.3%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Newham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	33.6%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	66.4%	14.6%
Black	12.0%	3.3%
Indian 5.6%	2.9%
Mixed	1.9%	1.3%
Other	8.1%	2.0%
Other Asian	7.2%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	31.6%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Newham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	85.0%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	61.3%	64.9%
Black	62.4%	66.8%
Indian	66.8%	74.4%
Mixed	57.5%	67.9%
Other	79.0%	61.7%
Other Asian	59.2%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	56.1%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Newham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	41.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	55.7%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	66.3%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	73.3%	85.4%
Other qualifications	14.3%	6.9%
No qualifications	12.4%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Tower Hamlets

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Tower Hamlets per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	64.7%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	8.7%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	29.2%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Tower Hamlets per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	46.1%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	53.9%	14.6%
Black	3.4%	3.3%
Indian	3.8%	2.9%
Mixed	1.7%	1.3%
Other	2.8%	2.0%
Other Asian	8.2%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	34.0%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Tower Hamlets per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	78.6%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	53.0%	64.9%
Black	65.0%	66.8%
Indian	75.3%	74.4%
Mixed	30.5%	67.9%
Other	61.0%	61.7%
Other Asian	73.0%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	45.0%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Tower Hamlets per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	47.5%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	60.9%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	71.8%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	77.1%	85.4%
Other qualifications	8.9%	6.9%
No qualifications	14.0%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Redbridge

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Redbridge per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	70.9%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.1%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	24.3%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Redbridge per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	40.8%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	59.2%	14.6%
Black	9.0%	3.3%
Indian	16.6%	2.9%
Mixed	1.9%	1.3%
Other	3.3%	2.0%
Other Asian	6.5%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	21.8%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Redbridge per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	81.7%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	63.5%	64.9%
Black	74.9%	66.8%
Indian	64.5%	74.4%
Mixed	28.9%	67.9%
Other	77.3%	61.7%
Other Asian	66.9%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	57.9%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Redbridge per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	47.5%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	64.6%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	75.9%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	83.0%	85.4%
Other qualifications	9.1%	6.9%
No qualifications	7.9%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Hackney

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Hackney per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	71.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	3.4%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	26.1%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Hackney per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	55.7%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	44.3%	14.6%
Black	18.4%	3.3%
Indian	5.3%	2.9%
Mixed	2.9%	1.3%
Other	11.7%	2.0%
Other Asian	4.4%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	1.7%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Hackney per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	81.5%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	58.8%	64.9%
Black	59.6%	66.8%
Indian	51.3%	74.4%
Mixed	81.7%	67.9%
Other	55.2%	61.7%
Other Asian	62.0%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	51.7%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Hackney per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	59.4%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	69.1%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	77.1%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	84.8%	85.4%
Other qualifications	7.3%	6.9%
No qualifications	7.9%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Westminster

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Westminster per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	64.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	7.9%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	29.9%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Westminster per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	53.3%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	46.7%	14.6%
Black	8.0%	3.3%
Indian	4.7%	2.9%
Mixed	2.8%	1.3%
Other	16.6%	2.0%
Other Asian	7.5%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	7.0%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Westminster per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.4%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	53.0%	64.9%
Black	67.5%	66.8%
Indian	60.5%	74.4%
Mixed	80.9%	67.9%
Other	48.5%	61.7%
Other Asian	44.4%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	39.7%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Westminster per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	62.6%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	76.1%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	83.6%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	88.4%	85.4%
Other qualifications	6.9%	6.9%
No qualifications	4.7%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Islington

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Islington per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	78.0%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	4.3%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	18.5%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Islington per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	67.7%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	32.3%	14.6%
Black	9.5%	3.3%
Indian	2.4%	2.9%
Mixed	3.3%	1.3%
Other	12.0%	2.0%
Other Asian	2.3%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	2.9%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Islington per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	84.0%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	65.3%	64.9%
Black	50.9%	66.8%
Indian	91.0%	74.4%
Mixed	79.9%	67.9%
Other	71.1%	61.7%
Other Asian	56.5%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	56.9%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Islington per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	61.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	75.1%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	84.0%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	90.2%	85.4%
Other qualifications	4.3%	6.9%
No qualifications	5.5%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Southwark

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Southwark per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	79.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.1%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	15.3%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Southwark per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	65.0%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	35.0%	14.6%
Black	17.1%	3.3%
Indian	1.4%	2.9%
Mixed	4.9%	1.3%
Other	5.5%	2.0%
Other Asian	5.2%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	0.9%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Southwark per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	83.7%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	71.4%	64.9%
Black	74.1%	66.8%
Indian	80.0%	74.4%
Mixed	61.9%	67.9%
Other	66.7%	61.7%
Other Asian	72.8%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	76.8%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Southwark per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	63.1%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	74.5%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	82.4%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	85.8%	85.4%
Other qualifications	8.6%	6.9%
No qualifications	5.6%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Ealing

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Ealing per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	76.0%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	5.6%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	19.4%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Ealing per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	53.2%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	46.8%	14.6%
Black	6.1%	3.3%
Indian	19.6%	2.9%
Mixed	3.1%	1.3%
Other	6.0%	2.0%
Other Asian	9.6%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	2.4%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Ealing per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	80.6%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	71.2%	64.9%
Black	60.1%	66.8%
Indian	74.0%	74.4%
Mixed	72.6%	67.9%
Other	69.5%	61.7%
Other Asian	72.6%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	74.8%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Ealing per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	49.5%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	66.1%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	76.2%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	84.0%	85.4%
Other qualifications	10.1%	6.9%
No qualifications	5.9%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Bradford

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Bradford per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	68.1%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	4.6%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	28.7%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Bradford per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	68.9%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	31.1%	14.6%
Black	1.4%	3.3%
Indian	3.2%	2.9%
Mixed	1.7%	1.3%
Other	1.5%	2.0%
Other Asian	1.0%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	22.5%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Bradford per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.8%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	53.2%	64.9%
Black	47.3%	66.8%
Indian	68.7%	74.4%
Mixed	56.8%	67.9%
Other	59.2%	61.7%
Other Asian	78.0%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	49.7%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Bradford per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	26.5%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	46.6%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	65.6%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	78.7%	85.4%
Other qualifications	8.2%	6.9%
No qualifications	13.1%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Glasgow City

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Glasgow City per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	66.5%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.1%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	29.0%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Glasgow City per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	86.6%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	13.4%	14.6%
Black	3.0%	3.3%
Indian	0.9%	2.9%
Mixed	0.3%	1.3%
Other	2.5%	2.0%
Other Asian	1.5%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	5.2%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Glasgow City per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	69.9%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	44.3%	64.9%
Black	48.0%	66.8%
Indian	41.3%	74.4%
Mixed	40.1%	67.9%
Other	23.8%	61.7%
Other Asian	26.1%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	58.3%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Glasgow City per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	46.3%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	59.4%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	73.1%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	80.5%	85.4%
Other qualifications	7.1%	6.9%
No qualifications	12.4%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Harrow

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Harrow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	78.9%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	3.1%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	18.5%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Harrow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	44.3%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	55.7%	14.6%
Black	3.8%	3.3%
Indian	26.2%	2.9%
Mixed	2.1%	1.3%
Other	7.8%	2.0%
Other Asian	12.7%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	3.3%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Harrow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	81.7%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	76.7%	64.9%
Black	85.9%	66.8%
Indian	81.7%	74.4%
Mixed	70.5%	67.9%
Other	74.2%	61.7%
Other Asian	69.2%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	65.2%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Harrow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	49.0%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	66.1%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	78.8%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	81.8%	85.4%
Other qualifications	15.4%	6.9%
No qualifications	2.8%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Leicester

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

(age range)	Leicester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	66.0%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.3%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	29.4%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Leicester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	49.0%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	51.0%	14.6%
Black	4.8%	3.3%
Indian	33.0%	2.9%
Mixed	1.7%	1.3%
Other	3.0%	2.0%
Other Asian	2.7%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	5.8%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Leicester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.5%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	58.2%	64.9%
Black	49.0%	66.8%
Indian	65.7%	74.4%
Mixed	66.8%	67.9%
Other	36.0%	61.7%
Other Asian	40.4%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	39.9%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Leicester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	27.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	45.9%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	61.0%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	72.7%	85.4%
Other qualifications	12.5%	6.9%
No qualifications	14.7%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Brent

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Brent per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	71.3%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.2%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	23.8%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Brent per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	40.5%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	59.5%	14.6%
Black	17.7%	3.3%
Indian	18.3%	2.9%
Mixed	3.8%	1.3%
Other	7.3%	2.0%
Other Asian	5.8%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	6.7%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Brent per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	82.9%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	63.4%	64.9%
Black	52.1%	66.8%
Indian	73.4%	74.4%
Mixed	73.2%	67.9%
Other	71.5%	61.7%
Other Asian	62.4%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	52.5%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Brent per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	39.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	55.5%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	68.4%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	76.2%	85.4%
Other qualifications	15.6%	6.9%
No qualifications	8.2%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Luton

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Luton per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	70.0%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.0%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	25.5%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Luton per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	52.9%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	47.1%	14.6%
Black	9.8%	3.3%
Indian	4.9%	2.9%
Mixed	1.4%	1.3%
Other	1.3%	2.0%
Other Asian	3.7%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	26.0%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Luton per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	77.4%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	61.5%	64.9%
Black	66.7%	66.8%
Indian	77.2%	74.4%
Mixed	48.5%	67.9%
Other	74.7%	61.7%
Other Asian	72.1%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	55.2%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Luton per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	33.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	49.7%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	66.7%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	76.7%	85.4%
Other qualifications	10.4%	6.9%
No qualifications	12.9%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Waltham Forest

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Waltham Forest per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	78.5%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	4.3%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	17.9%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Waltham Forest per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	59.6%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	40.4%	14.6%
Black	13.4%	3.3%
Indian	1.7%	2.9%
Mixed	2.0%	1.3%
Other	9.0%	2.0%
Other Asian	3.2%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	11.1%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Waltham Forest per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	88.1%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	64.4%	64.9%
Black	71.1%	66.8%
Indian	90.7%	74.4%
Mixed	66.4%	67.9%
Other	66.9%	61.7%
Other Asian	48.5%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	54.6%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Waltham Forest per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	44.0%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	55.5%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	70.0%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	77.9%	85.4%
Other qualifications	12.8%	6.9%
No qualifications	9.3%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Manchester

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Manchester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	68.9%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.1%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	26.6%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Manchester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	67.7%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	32.3%	14.6%
Black	9.4%	3.3%
Indian	2.3%	2.9%
Mixed	3.4%	1.3%
Other	4.1%	2.0%
Other Asian	4.5%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	8.6%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Manchester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.2%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	57.7%	64.9%
Black	66.2%	66.8%
Indian	70.9%	74.4%
Mixed	65.1%	67.9%
Other	38.4%	61.7%
Other Asian	54.2%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	53.1%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Manchester per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	39.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	58.5%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	72.7%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	82.3%	85.4%
Other qualifications	6.6%	6.9%
No qualifications	11.1%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Sheffield

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Sheffield per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	70.4%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	6.0%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	25.1%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Sheffield per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	82.7%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	17.3%	14.6%
Black	3.4%	3.3%
Indian	0.8%	2.9%
Mixed	2.7%	1.3%
Other	3.3%	2.0%
Other Asian	3.0%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	4.0%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Sheffield per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.3%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	52.8%	64.9%
Black	42.8%	66.8%
Indian	100.0%	74.4%
Mixed	66.8%	67.9%
Other	43.9%	61.7%
Other Asian	55.5%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	47.1%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Sheffield per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	41.7%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	58.7%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	75.9%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	86.5%	85.4%
Other qualifications	5.0%	6.9%
No qualifications	8.5%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Hounslow

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Hounslow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	78.3%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	4.4%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	18.0%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Hounslow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	45.5%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	54.5%	14.6%
Black	6.3%	3.3%
Indian	19.0%	2.9%
Mixed	2.3%	1.3%
Other	10.2%	2.0%
Other Asian	11.9%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	4.8%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Hounslow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	81.3%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	76.4%	64.9%
Black	68.1%	66.8%
Indian	84.6%	74.4%
Mixed	72.8%	67.9%
Other	74.2%	61.7%
Other Asian	78.1%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	56.5%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Hounslow per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	44.9%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	60.8%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	70.7%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	78.4%	85.4%
Other qualifications	15.3%	6.9%
No qualifications	6.3%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Barnet

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Barnet per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	72.6%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	3.2%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	24.9%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Barnet per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	67.0%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	33.0%	14.6%
Black	5.3%	3.3%
Indian	7.6%	2.9%
Mixed	3.9%	1.3%
Other	7.9%	2.0%
Other Asian	5.8%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	2.6%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Barnet per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	76.3%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	65.5%	64.9%
Black	86.8%	66.8%
Indian	74.5%	74.4%
Mixed	58.8%	67.9%
Other	48.3%	61.7%
Other Asian	76.6%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	33.5%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Barnet per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	54.0%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	66.0%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	76.2%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	81.5%	85.4%
Other qualifications	13.0%	6.9%
No qualifications	5.5%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Oldham

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Oldham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	68.1%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	5.0%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	28.2%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Oldham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	74.6%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	25.4%	14.6%
Black	2.4%	3.3%
Indian	0.9%	2.9%
Mixed	1.7%	1.3%
Other	1.2%	2.0%
Other Asian	1.4%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	17.9%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Oldham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	73.2%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	53.2%	64.9%
Black	64.9%	66.8%
Indian	72.6%	74.4%
Mixed	68.1%	67.9%
Other	27.4%	61.7%
Other Asian	69.3%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	49.8%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Oldham per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	27.5%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	48.9%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	66.9%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	79.0%	85.4%
Other qualifications	7.9%	6.9%
No qualifications	13.1%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

Sandwell

Labour market status

Labour market statistics

Ethnicity	Sandwell per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
Employed (16-64)	64.2%	75.0%
Unemployed (16+)	8.5%	4.3%
Inactive (16-64)	29.8%	21.6%

Population by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Sandwell per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	64.5%	85.4%
Ethnic Minority	35.5%	14.6%
Black	8.6%	3.3%
Indian	12.3%	2.9%
Mixed	2.8%	1.3%
Other	2.6%	2.0%
Other Asian	1.2%	2.1%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	8.0%	3.1%

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Ethnicity	Sandwell per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
White	67.7%	76.7%
Ethnic Minority	58.1%	64.9%
Black	61.3%	66.8%
Indian	69.9%	74.4%
Mixed	44.3%	67.9%
Other	44.8%	61.7%
Other Asian	74.8%	65.0%
Pakistani/Bangladeshi	43.2%	54.5%

Qualifications

Qualification	Sandwell per cent (%)	GB per cent (%)
NVQ4 and above	21.3%	38.6%
NVQ3 and above	34.9%	57.2%
NVQ2 and above	53.4%	74.7%
NVQ1 and above	65.6%	85.4%
Other qualifications	13.4%	6.9%
No qualifications	21.0%	7.7%

Source

Annual Population Survey: Apr17-Mar18 for Labour Market Statistics, Population by Ethnicity and Employment Rates by Ethnicity (published quarterly)

Annual Population Survey: Jan17-Dec17 for Qualifications (published annually)

1. Office for Nation Statistics, Labour Market Statistics by Ethnic Group, August 2017 ↩

2. Race Disparity Audit: Summary of Findings from the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website, October 2017, page 10 ↩

3. Ibid, page 27 ↩

4. Office for National Statistics, (2017) Unemployment rates of young black men in London. Crown Commercial Services, London. Release 006675.0 ↩

5. Ibid, page 27 ↩

6. Reducing Poverty by promoting More Diverse Networks for Disadvantaged People from Ethnic Minority Groups, Ryan Shorthouse, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, October 2015 ↩

7. A test for racial discrimination in recruitment practices in British cities, Wood et al, DWP Research Report 607, 2009 ↩

8. Measuring the Impact of Community-Based English Language Provision: Findings from a Randomised Control Trial, MHCLG, March 2018 ↩

9. Evaluation of the London City Strategy ESOL Pilot: final report, Bellis, et al, DWP Research Report 744, 2011 ↩

10. How place influences employment outcomes for ethnic minorities, Lalani etc al, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, May 2014 ↩

11. Using Jobcentre Plus services: Qualitative evidence from ethnic minority customers, Marangozov etc al, DWP Research Report717, 2010. ↩

12. The Casey Review: a review into opportunity and integration, MHCLG, December 2016. ↩

13. Come Together: Lesson from Bedford on Reaching out to Britain’s most isolated minorities – Institute for Public Policy Research, Murray, 2017 ↩

14. How place influences employment outcomes for ethnic minorities, Lalani et al, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, May 2014. ↩

15. Evaluation of Partners Outreach for Ethnic Minorities (POEM) Interim report, DWP Research Report 561, 2009 ↩

16. Employment opportunities for Muslims in the UK inquiry submission, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, March 2016 ↩

17. Ibid ↩

18. Ethnicity, migration and employment disadvantage under New Labour: reviewing the evidence from the United Kingdom, 2011 ↩

19. Barriers to employment for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in Britain, Tackey et al, DWP Research Report, 360, 2006 ↩

20. Action Plan: To increase Employment rates for Young Black men in London, Black Training &Enterprise Group (BTEG), 2014. ↩

21. Moving on Up: evaluation report, An evaluation of the Moving on Up initiative, carried out by The Social Innovation Partnership, July 2017. ↩

22. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/29/rise-in-proportion-bame-suspects-met-police-gangs-matrix ↩

23. Exit and enterprise: the role of enterprise in supportingyoung people’s gang exit Page 1 ↩

24. Ending gang violence and exploitation HM Government, January 2016 ↩