1. Why the need for action?

Despite the development in Britain of a legal framework designed to protect people from unfair treatment because of their race, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people still do not enjoy an equal place in the workforce. They face inequality in terms of employment and unemployment, pay, job seniority, and good work opportunities. They also experience implicit, if not overt, racism every day and suffer disproportionately from harassment and bullying.

And in the last year, these inequalities have been thrown into sharp relief by the tragedies of the coronavirus pandemic.

This chapter sets out some key facts and figures about employment in today’s Britain which illustrate the inequality and racism permeating the world of work.