People from black and asian communities twice as likely to be out of work

Commenting on figures published today (Wednesday) by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on employment and ethnicity, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“The jobs picture may be slowly improving, but these figures suggest that the recovery and the return to employment are not being experienced equally across all the UK’s different communities.

“Last year the unemployment rate for people from the black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities was twice that of white jobseekers.

“Rather than leave people from some ethnic backgrounds to languish on the dole, the government should do much more to help black and Pakistani youngsters – as well as the long-term unemployed from within these communities – with targeted support so they can more easily find work.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The DWP figures can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/labour-market-status-by-ethnic-group

- The figures show that in the year to September 2013, the unemployment rate for the black and the Pakistani/Bangladeshi communities was 12 per cent, and 6 per cent for white jobseekers.

- The TUC’s campaign plan can be downloaded from www.tuc.org.uk/campaignplan

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

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