New analysis by the TUC published today reveals the unemployment rate for Black, minority and ethnic (BME) workers is currently more than double that of white workers.
Analysis of the most recent ONS labour market statistics – produced as the TUC’s Black workers’ conference starts in London today – reveals that the BME unemployment rate stood at 6.9% in 2022, compared to 3.2% for white workers.
The analysis shows BME women face an even bigger penalty with an unemployment rate nearly three times higher than white women.
The unemployment rate for BME women is 8.1%, compared to 2.8% for white women.
The TUC says the situation is worse now than in 2008 when the unemployment rate for BME women was 2.3 times higher than for white women.
The TUC is calling for an end to the structural discrimination and inequalities that hold BME people back at work.
The union body wants ministers to act to improve the experience of BME workers at work, including introducing mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “It’s not right that the unemployment rate is more than twice as high for BME workers as their white peers.
“There’s no hiding from the fact that racism still plays a huge part in our jobs market.
“Ministers must take bold action to confront this inequality. The obvious first step is forcing bigger companies to disclose their ethnicity pay gaps. This will make employers confront the inequalities in their own workforces – and act to fix them.
“Business and unions are united in their support for compulsory pay gap monitoring. Ministers must bring it in without delay.”
