1. Ethnicity and Public Sector Employment in Post-recession Austerity

2. 2 The government is making unprecedented cuts to government spending of >£83 billion in one parliament. In 2011, Runnymede commissioned a research paper exploring the likely impact of public sector cuts on Black workers. The paper will foreground a new project with UNISON, the TUC and other unions, which will illustrate where employment cuts have occurred and how they are affecting the Black public sector workforce. Through an analysis of the Labour Force Survey during the four years between 2008 – 2011, the main findings of the paper can be summarised in the following slides. Overview

3. 3 Most minority ethnic groups (apart from Indian & Chinese men, and Eastern Europeans) had lower employment rates than White British. Black (African & Caribbean) men and women were 2.5 times as likely to be unemployed as White people. 66% of Bangladeshi & Pakistani women not working at all. 2nd generation immigrants born and educated in Britain have similar unemployment rates to their first generation counterparts 1.There are declining rates of overall employment among minority ethnic groups in Great Britain

4. 4 There is clear evidence of an ‘ethnic penalty’ in employment for most Black groups. This means that Black people have much higher rates of unemployment or worklessness that remain unexplained even after taking their socio-economic backgrounds into account. These ethnic penalties worsened as the recession proceeded, particularly for Black African men. employment 2. Black groups experience an ethnic penalty in employment

5. 5 Black African and Black Caribbean people in particular are concentrated in public-sector employment. Public sector cuts will have a negative impact on their livelihoods. Black workers in the public sector also experience differences compared to White workers in the hourly pay they receive, their access to professional & managerial positions and overall employment. For example, Black African and Black Caribbean workers in professional/managerial positions were badly paid. 3. Cuts to public sector employment will have a major impact on BME workers

6. 6 Black unemployment has been found to be particularly high in times of economic recession in the UK, such as during the mid 1980s and early 1990s. When unemployment rises during periods of recession, it begins earlier among Black groups and at its highest point, Black unemployment was 3 times higher than that for the rest of the population. When the economic situation begins to improve, it takes longer for the impact to be felt among Black groups, as unemployment remains higher for them for a longer period of time. 4. The effects of recession and recovery

7. 7 Contact For more on this project, contact Debbie Weekes-Bernard at: debbie@runnymedetrust.org www.runnymedetrust.org debbie@runnymedetrust.org www.runnymedetrust.org