Background
The Government is succeeding in its aspiration to provide work for those who can, and support for those who can’t.
We are building a strong, stable economy, in which unemployment is at a record low, and long-term youth unemployment has been virtually eradicated.
However, not everyone is sharing in this success. Ethnic minorities are less likely to find and sustain employment than their white counterparts – and this disadvantage has persisted for more than a decade.
This waste of employment potential has both economic and social costs, contributing to social exclusion and damaging community cohesion.
We have an objective that in ten years’ time, no-one should be disadvantaged in their employment prospects because of their ethnicity.
This is a challenging objective, and one that requires Government departments to join up in their commitment and determination to remove the barriers to employment that are faced by some ethnic minority groups.
The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force, which was formed in response to the recommendations of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit’s report on ethnic minorities in the labour market, is the key mechanism for ensuring that departments work together, and delivers the first coherent cross-Government ethnic minority strategy.
The Task Force is chaired by the Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform and consists of Ministers from: Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), Her Majesty's Treasury (HMT), Cabinet Office (CO), Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).
It also consists of representatives from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), National Employment Panel (NEP), Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Local Government Association (LGA), The Greater London Council (GLA), the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Government Equalities Office (GEO) and the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group (EMAG).
In addition, the Task Force aims to be an inclusive body, and seeks to represent the views and concerns of the communities it serves.