15 December 2006 - New research examines international approaches to ethnic minority employment
A new research report into the range of programmes being implemented across EU states and North America to help tackle low levels of ethnic minority employment is published today.
The report examines whether initiatives in Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Canada and the United States have been successful and if they could be applied to Great Britain.
Welcoming the research Jim Murphy, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform said:
“This research raises a number of interesting ideas about how we can approach the problem of low rates of ethnic minority employment, such as using the public procurement process, something which we are already considering.
"'There are now 520,000 more ethnic minority people in employment than there were in 2003 and while this is an improvement there is still a long way to go. We have introduced the New Deprived Areas Fund and the city strategy programmes to specifically help those most disadvantaged to find work.
“These programmes build on the Ethnic Minority Outreach and Action Teams programmes which helped almost 50,000 people into work, and the New Deal for young people which has helped over 100,000 18-24 year olds from an ethnic minority background find a job.
“The Government has an ambitious target of achieving an 80% employment rate – to reach that we must ensure we do not allow anyone to fall by the wayside. We are determined to do more to ensure that the skills and talents of those from ethnic minorities are not wasted. It is vital that everyone has equal access based on their ability to the opportunities that exist within the labour market.”
Notes to editors
- In February 2006 the DWP commissioned Bristol University to identify successful positive action policies in the USA, Canada and EU; identify the context in which these policies were developed; comment on their relative success; and comment on the desirability/possibility of implementing similar policies in the UK.
- The report - Research Report 406: Developing Positive Action Policies: Learning from the Experiences of Europe and North America - is available on the DWP website at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2005-2006/rrep406.pdf
- Public procurement policies can help improve ethnic employment rates by making the award of government contracts conditional on contractors collecting ethnic minority statistics and in race equality schemes.
- Within an EU context the Netherlands and UK stand out as countries that are actively promoting race equality policies. In the case of Canada and the USA, contract compliance has been identified as being one of the most effective positive action tools for pursuing equality of opportunity. The report concludes by suggesting that the adoption of contract compliance approach in the UK is both desirable and feasible. DWP is currently in the process of establishing procurement pilots designed to influence contractors' approach to equal opportunities policy and practice.
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