BME workers have a more than twice as high unemployment rate as white employees

• Aparna Sreevalsan
• 26 May, 2023

 

• BME employees are more likely than white workers to be unemployed, revealed by a new Trades Union Congress (TUC) research.
• Because of this, BME women experience the highest rates of unemployment compared to white males.
• Union organisation demands action on systemic racism in the labour market.

 

THE unemployment rate among Black, Minority, and Ethnic (BME) employees is presently more than double (2.2 times) that of White Workers, according to new study by the TUC published on Friday.

The BME unemployment rate was 6.9 per cent in 2022, compared to 3.2 per cent for white employees, according to an analysis of the most current ONS labour market figures, which were released as the TUC’s Black workers’ convention gets started in London on Friday (26).

According to the data, BME women suffer an even greater cost due to their unemployment rate, which is over three (2.9) times higher than that of white women.

Compared to 2.8 per cent for white women, the unemployment rate for women of colour is 8.1 per cent.

The TUC claims that the situation has gotten worse since 2008, when BME women’s unemployment rates were 2.3 times higher than those of white women.

The TUC is urging an end to the systemic discrimination and disparities that prevent BME workers from progressing in their careers.

The union organisation requests that ministers take the following actions to enhance BME workers’ experiences at work:

• Introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. Business and unions are united in their support for compulsory ethnicity pay gap monitoring. Alongside publishing the raw data, every employer must publish an action plan setting out how they will close their pay gap and ensure pay parity between Black and white workers.
• Getting rid of insecure work. BME workers are significantly more likely to experience insecure and poor-quality work. Raising the floor of rights for everyone – by, for example, banning zero-hours contracts – will disproportionately benefit BME workers. Reversing outsourcing, introducing fair pay agreements across the economy, and giving workers the right to access their union on-site would also improve rights for all.

Paul Nowak, general secretary of TUC said: “It’s not right that the unemployment rate is more than twice as high for BME workers as their white peers.

“There’s no hiding from the fact that racism still plays a huge part in our jobs market.

“Ministers must take bold action to confront this inequality. The obvious first step is forcing bigger companies to disclose their ethnicity pay gaps. This will make employers confront the inequalities in their own workforces – and act to fix them.

“Business and unions are united in their support for compulsory pay gap monitoring. Ministers must bring it in without delay.”

One of the largest meetings of Black employees in the UK, the TUC Black employees’ Conference brings together hundreds of Black people from all over the country and from every industry. Along with TUC general secretary Paul Nowak, US trade unionist Chris Smalls, who is well-known for his organising work with Amazon, will speak this year.

The Black Workers’ Conference will take place at Congress House, Great Russell Street, London, from today (Friday) through Sunday (28).