Just 3.4% of managers in the construction industry are from Black Asian Minority and Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, a new report from the charity Business in the Community has found.
Race at the Top, which covers all public and private sectors, claims that the gap at management level between BAME and white people is not only disproportionate to their representation in the UK workforce, but is widening. In fact, the state of racial inequality in leadership has worsened at a much faster rate than anticipated between 2007 and 2012, it says.
In construction the report says there are 333,942 white managers in 2012 (398,750 in 2007) compared with 11,807 that are BAME. Some figures were not measured in 2007 when the report was last carried out, so it is difficult to measure percentage changes. However, the report highlights construction as one of the sectors where minimal progress seems to have been made, alongside manufacturing, and energy and water.
The report says there are 1,754 managers of mixed race in 2012 (figures not available for 2007); 2,591 managers of Indian descent in 2012 (5,161 in 2007): Pakistani, 291 managers in 2012 (347 in 2007); Black/Black British, 5,824 managers in 2012 (5,017 in 2007); and for other ethnic groups there were 1,347 managers in 2012 (figures not available for 2007).
Business in the Community is calling for a government-led review into racial barriers in the workplace that is akin to the Lord Davies review into gender and for the two words – “and race” – to be added to the UK Corporate Governance Code.
The campaign is also calling on employers in all sectors to do more to attract and retain BAME workers and ensure equal progression, and recommendations in the report are made to support this.
Overall the report finds that:
- The share of BAME people in top management has increased by just 0.5% between 2007 and 2012, but in real terms the number of BAME people in top management positions has decreased from 95,023 to 73,378 – a drop of 21,645.
- There have been substantial drops in management positions held by BAME people across the east midlands, north east and Yorkshire & Humber between 2007 and 2012.
- “Other services”, which includes small and medium-sized enterprises, had the second fastest growth rate of BAME managers between 2007 and 2012 (51%), suggesting BAME people prefer to start a new business than to find employment in the more traditional industries – whether by choice or necessity
- The banking, finance and insurance industry has increased its percentage of BAME managers from 10% to 11% between 2007 and 2012.
- The vast majority of management positions held by BAME people are clustered in public administration, education & health; banking and insurance and distribution hotels and restaurants.
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