Can organisational culture explain labour market disadvantage of ethnic minorities

The most recent statistics confirm an ongoing reality for British black and minority ethnic (BME) groups, which is that they are typically twice as likely to be unemployed as their white counterparts. Indeed, while overall unemployment rates remained static between the January-March and April-June 2019 accounting periods, the rates for white unemployment improved marginally from 3.4 to 3.3 per cent. However, almost all minority ethnic groups experienced increases in unemployment, with the overall BME rate increasing from 6.9 to 7.5 per cent (ONS, August 2019). There is also evidence to suggest that the majority of those BMEs that succeed in finding employment are placed in unattractive jobs, with many encountering significant difficulties in climbing the corporate ladder.