RFO 'Race to Progress: Breaking Down Barriers'
The purpose of 'Race to Progress: Breaking Down Barriers', , was to determine whether there are differences in the career progression rates of ethnic minorities in the UK and, if so, why this is.
- Date published
- June 2011
To download the complete report and the supporting RfO Bridging the Gap toolkit please go to:
Race to Progress - Breaking Down Barriers
or
Bridging the Value Gap Tookit
Research overview .
A total of 1,557 UK employees participated in the survey. The largest group was Indian (24%), followed by Caribbean (14%), then white, mixed race and Pakistani each 13%. Africans accounted for 12% whilst Chinese and Bangladeshi employees made up 7% and 4% respectively.
British workers from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK show high levels of ambition and motivation. More than three quarters of BAME employees describe themselves as ambitious and say that career progression is important to them. However, there is still a ceiling for BAME workers’ career progression. They enjoy fewer promotions over their career than their white counterparts. A white employee has an average of almost four promotions during their career. However, British African, Indian and Pakistani employees have been promoted an average of just 2.5 times.
7 out of 10 BAME workers are confident about what the next step in their career will be. However, nearly half feel they will have to leave their current employer to progress. The most commonly cited factors for joining or staying with an employer were: that the organisation values its workers; there are fair pay arrangements with a bonus scheme; and appropriate training is available. Yet two-thirds of workers said their employer did not provide what they were looking for.
Perceived barriers to career advancement include a shortage of promotion opportunities, a lack of support or poor relationships with the line manager, and there is still evidence of racial discrimination, with African and Caribbean employees particularly feeling discriminated against. In businesses that are BAME-owned or managed, concerns over lack of opportunities and managerial support are much lower.
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