4. Equality in recruitment

As outlined in Chapter 1, BAME people are less likely to be in work and to be in good jobs than white people. With a few narrow exceptions, they are underrepresented in well-paid permanent jobs and overrepresented in insecure jobs and roles with low pay and status.

There are many reasons for this. They may be unaware of job openings, or are not shortlisted, interviewed or appointed because of the processes used by employers to recruit and select staff. Some BAME groups may just feel that certain jobs are “not for them” as the occupation or profession does not project a diverse image. In some cases there is outright race discrimination among those doing the recruiting. For example, research for the Department for Work and Pensions in 2009 comparing applications made with names associated with different ethnicities found that “candidates were denied access to a range of jobs in a range of sectors … as a result of having a name associated with an ethnic minority background”.

Unions should press employers to find imaginative ways to reach BAME jobseekers and encourage them to apply for desirable jobs. And they must ensure that recruitment and selection procedures are scrutinised and monitored to ensure that they do not discriminate.