BITC responds to latest unemployment rate for Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and other ethnically diverse people
Today, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published a UK labour market update on the unemployment rate by ethnicity between January 2023 and March 2023. The figures show that whilst the unemployment rate for White people is at 3.2%, the unemployment rate for Black, Asian, Mixed Race, and other ethnically diverse people is twice as high, at 7%. The rate is particularly high for Pakistani and Bangladeshi individuals, at 8.5% and 9.2% respectively.
Sandra Kerr CBE, Race Director at Business in the Community, said:
“While the unemployment rates for people of Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse backgrounds have improved slightly since this time last year, today’s figures are a stark reminder that employers still have a long way to go to ensure that their workplaces, recruitment processes and progression plans are truly inclusive.
“Despite the unemployment rate for White people being historically low, the unemployment rate for Black, Asian, Mixed Race and other ethnically diverse people is higher than it was pre-pandemic. It is our collective duty to ensure that UK workplaces are inclusive and representative of all ethnicities, so everyone benefits from the same opportunities in the workplace, and no one gets left behind.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
For further information, please contact Aoife Butler Nolan, Head of Media, Public Affairs and Policy, on 07702 903 216.