23 November 2004 - Plans to tackle low ethnic minority employment levels launched
The employment rate for ethnic minorities is rising, but not fast enough, Minister for Work Jane Kennedy said today.
“Ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed. These statistics are shocking, and that is why this cross-government Task Force has been created and is committed to bringing about change,” added Ms Kennedy.
Marking the first anniversary of the Government’s Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, Ms Kennedy said that although a lot of work had already been done, there was still more to do to realise the potential of people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Task Force was set up by the Prime Minister to deliver the first ever cross-government ethnic minority employment strategy, tackling issues such as lack of access to guidance and advice on training and employment, under-attainment at school and discrimination.
Although the ethnic minority employment gap is narrowing, it remains substantial - the employment rate for ethnic minorities is currently 59.4 per cent, compared to 74.9 per cent for the overall population. And ethnic minorities also earn less than their white counterparts.
Ms Kennedy, who chairs the Task Force, said: “The groundwork has been laid in the first year of the Task Force. Now all government departments and employers need to forge ahead and work together to ensure nobody is disadvantaged in their career prospects because of their ethnicity.”
Today’s milestone event was also attended by Ministers from the Home Office, Department for Trade and Industry, Department for Education and Skills and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, launched the first Task Force annual report in a speech to an audience including business representatives, the Trades Union Congress, the Confederation of British Industry and the Commission for Racial Equality.
Progress has already been made in a number of areas, including:
- The Department for Education and Skills’ Aiming High Strategy, which provides help for ethnic minority pupils, their teachers and their parents, representing a key step forward in improving the employability of ethnic minorities;
- The New Deal has helped more than 125,000 ethnic minority people into work;
- Ethnic minority outreach work with community organisations is finding innovative ways to connect ethnic minority people with jobs and received an additional £14m funding to do this.
Over the next year, the Task Force will look to:
- Ensure skills policies and programmes take the needs of ethnic minority communities into account;
- Find further and better ways of reaching people who are inactive in the labour market;
- Find ways to ensure that guidance on how public procurement can be used to promote race equality is put into practice;
- Encourage businesses to take a leadership role;
- Look at ethnic minority rates of progression and pay within work; and
- Undertake further programmes of research.
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