Ethnic minorities in the Labour Market

Population

More than one in 10 working age people in Great Britain are of an ethnic minority background.

22% of the working age ethnic minority population are under 25 years old, compared with 18% per cent for whites.
Almost a third of the working age population from Bangladeshi backgrounds are under 25 years old.

Over two thirds of all working age ethnic minorities are concentrated in London, West Midlands Metropolitan, East Midlands, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, with 44% concentrated in London alone.

Only 61% of ethnic minorities are employed, compared with 76% of white people .
Bangladeshi women have the lowest employment rate of all groups, with just 26% being employed.
About a quarter of ethnic minorities are employed in the distribution or hotel and restaurants industry sectors compared with under a fifth of white people.

12% of ethnic minority people are unemployed (ILO unemployment), compared with only 5% of whites.
Indian unemployment is the lowest of all ethnic minority groups at 7%.
Pakistani women are the group most likely to be unemployed, with an unemployment rate of 25%.

The economically inactive group includes those who are working age retired, those studying, looking after the family or home and those people who are long term sick or disabled.
31% of people from an ethnic minority background are economically inactive, compared with only 20% of people from a white background.
Two thirds of all Bangladeshi women are economically inactive, compared with only a quarter of white women.
66% of Chinese people who are outside of the labour force are students.
Over half of the Bangladeshis who are outside of the labour force are taking care of the family or home.

Source: Labour Force Survey, fourth quarter 2006.