[WiLT] Closing the job gap for minorities 'will take 30 years'

[WiL Admin]

Closing the job gap for minorities 'will take 30 years'



Says a story in New Start at
http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news/article/closing-the-job-gap-for-minorities-will-take-30-years
which is based on this recent report:





Increasing Employment Rates for Ethnic Minorities



Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General

HC 206 2007-2008

1 February 2008

ISBN: 9780102951998

Price: £13.90



* Full Report (PDF 780 KB)
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/07-08/0708206.pdf

* Executive Summary  (PDF 185 KB)
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/07-08/0708206es.pdf

* Executive Summary [HTML]
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/07-08/0708206es.htm



The NAO has reported today that, despite some progress, there is still
a significant gap between the employment rate for the ethnic minority
population and that for the general population which could take thirty
years to eliminate. The Department for Work and Pensions' strategy to
tackle this has had some success, but in the NAO's view has lacked
continuity, adversely affecting efforts to reduce ethnic minority
unemployment.



The employment rate for the ethnic minority population is 60 per cent,
and 74 per cent for the general population. The Department has
achieved its 2003 - 06 Public Service Agreement target to reduce the
employment gap and is on course to meet its Spring 2008 target.



However, the gap costs the economy £8.6 billion each year and,
although there have been significant fluctuations over the last 20
years, the gap is only 1.3 percentage points lower than it was in
1987. Reasons for the gap include that some ethnic minorities live in
deprived areas with high unemployment; and some face discrimination
and unequal treatment.



Most ethnic minorities who find employment through Jobcentre Plus do
so through its mainstream services. But between 2002 and 2006, the
Department introduced a number of programmes to tackle the ethnic
minority unemployment gap, with varying levels of success. After
spending £40 million and filling 15,500 jobs, these schemes have now
been discontinued. The Department now focuses efforts on disadvantaged
groups and deprived areas more generally, coupled with a move to more
local decision making. This shift in focus carries opportunities to
concentrate help on members of the community who are most
disadvantaged, but carries the risk that ethnic minorities may not
receive the help they need to gain employment.



The Department has now discontinued its programme to reach out to the
ethnic minority community and help ethnic minorities who are not
actively seeking work. Outreach activity by Jobcentre Plus is now
discretionary, and in some offices is being significantly cut back.
This risks losing the skills and experience of local voluntary sector
organisations who specialise in this work, and their links to some
isolated sections of the ethnic minority community. However, Jobcentre
Plus advisers do an impressive job in helping ethnic minorities to
find employment and a recent survey indicated few differences in the
satisfaction levels between ethnic minority and white customers.



One consequence of lower employment rates for ethnic minorities is
increased levels of poverty. nineteen per cent of the white population
live in low income households compared with 56 per cent of the
Pakistani and Bangladeshi population. And 23 per cent of white
children live in low income households compared with 60 per cent of
Pakistani and Bangladeshi children.



The Comptroller and Auditor General said today:



"Some progress has been made in tackling unemployment rates within
ethnic minority groups, but the reality is that over recent years,
while there has been a slow but steady improvement, the overall
reduction in the employment gap has been modest.



"The Department for Work and Pension's strategy has been fragmented
but is being refocused on those living in deprived areas. While this
provides opportunities to help those most disadvantaged, it carries
the risk that some ethnic minorities may not receive the help they
need to get a job. Unless the Department is prepared to do more to
reach out to the ethnic minority communities, prospects for increasing
their employment rate remain bleak"



Notes for Editors:



The figures quoted in the NAO report and this Press Notice in relation
to the employment gap are from the first quarter of 2007 - the latest
available at the time of the study.



Press notices and reports are available from the date of publication
on the NAO website, which is at http://www.nao.org.uk. Hard copies can
be obtained from The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474.



The Comptroller and Auditor General is the head of the National Audit
Office which employs some 850 staff. He and the NAO are totally
independent of Government. He certifies the accounts of all Government
departments and a wide range of other public sector bodies; and he has
statutory authority to report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency
and effectiveness with which departments and other bodies have used
their resources.



http://www.nao.org.uk/pn/07-08/0708206.htm