Report calls for ethnicity pay gap reporting to prevent discrimination

A survey of more than 24,000 employees has revealed widely differing attitudes between white and ethnic minority employees towards career progression, pay and discrimination. 

The research was carried out by Business in the Community (BITC) and published as Race at Work: Black Voices Report.

It found that seven out of 10 of black respondents wanted to advance further in their careers, compared with just four out of 10 white respondents.

Despite this, one in three black employees believed their ethnicity would hinder their careers; only one in 100 white employees had such concerns.

The report also found one in three black employees had experienced or witnessed racial harassment involving a manager, and just under one in five said they had witnessed it from a colleague.

This compared to just one in eight and one in 20 respectively for white employees.

There were also disparities in attitudes towards wages. One in four white, Asian and other ethnic groups felt they were paid the right amount; only one in three black employees thought they were paid fairly.

BITC has called on the government to oblige companies with more than 250 employees to publish their pay rates to ensure equality across different ethnic groups. Ministers promised to do this in 2018 but so far, no such move has been made. 

Sandra Kerr, race director at BITC, urged the government to act now to honour its promise.

She said: “In a year that has seen the normal rules of business and government thrown out of the window and shown so clearly the full impact of race discrimination on black people’s lives and livelihoods, it is inconceivable that the government will not meet its 2018 promise.”

“Covid-19 has shown me that, when they work in partnership, the government and the private sector can achieve great things. Together, they can invest in ethnicity pay gap reporting and take a step towards a more equal society.”

Please contact Faith Widdowson if you would like more information about the issues raised in this article or any aspect of employment law.