Facts and stats from Business in The Community

http://www.bitc.org.uk/take_action/in_the_workplace/diversity/race/facts_and_stats.html

As awareness grows so does the demand for detailed demographical research from which to form a benchmark against which organations can analyse, monitor and evaluate progress. Embracing the diversity of ethnic minority communities will bring economic and social rewards by building a stronger, more competitive Britain.

By 2030, 8% of the workforce will be an ethnic minority. Half of all new jobs over the next 10 years will go to ethnic minorities.

The workforce:

- Young people from ethnic minority groups are more likely to be in full time education at 18 than young white people.
- Indians have the highest participation rate at around half.
- White young people are much more likely to be in full time jobs.
- 10% of business start-ups in the UK are from ethnic minority groups
- In 2003, 17.2% of all University students were ethnic minorities, who overall have an equal or better record of education and qualification than the white population. Yet unemployment rates for ethnic minority communities are on average two to three times those of white communities.
- White graduates are three times more likely than graduates from ethnic minority communities to be offered a position by a top British company.
- 6.7% of people of working age are ethnic minorities. Between 1999 and 2009, they will account for half the growth in the working age population.
- By 2030, 8% of the workforce will be an ethnic minority. Half of all new jobs over the next 10 years will go to ethnic minorities.
- BME owned businesses in London employed 560,000 people generating a combined sales turnover of £90 billion in 2004.
- In 2004, the highest unemployment rates were among Black Caribbean men 14% and men from Black African, Mixed and Bangladeshi groups each 13%. Unemployemtn rates were slighty lower for Pakistani and Chinese men 11% and 10% respectively. Indian men had the lowers unemployment rates among ethnic minority groups at 7%.
- In 2004, 75% of working-age Bangladeshi women and 69% of working-age Pakistani women were neither working nor seeking work. The groups with the next highest economic inactivity rates were Chinese women 44% and Black African women 43%.

The marketplace:

- Ethinic minorities represent a growing marketplace for goods and services. Official research by the Bank of England stated that the annual income after tax was £15billion in 1997, contributing to £36billion UK GDP. Other sources are now alleging that the figure stands much higher, estimating that Black and Asian consumers earn £156billion after tax income.
- 7.9% of the UK's population today - more than 4.6 million people who are all potential customers. This figure is set to double over the next 25 years.
- 45% of the ethnic minority population is under 25 years old, compared to only a third of the white population and they have a faster growing rate of spending.
- Research by the IPA shows young Asian and Black men are bigger spenders - £32billion of it every year.
- A driving force in small and medium enterprise business development. Ethnic minorities are responsible for 9% of new business start ups.
- One in ten UK businesses are BME owned. It is estimated that there are 15,000 businesses in greater London alone.
- South Asians run a quarter of all the UK's small businesses and have been dubbed the "new middle class."
- English is an additional language for 35.9% of London's primary school children and 31.6% of secondary school pupils, compared with the national averages of 11% and 8.8%.
- In inner London, more than half (50.2%) of all primary school pupils have English as a second language.
Thursday, September 13, 2007