Ethnic minorities face barriers to social mobility and job opportunities

Ethnic minorities face barriers to social mobility and job opportunities
Academic success is not reflected in employment outcomes, say Manchester University researchers


Britain's ethnic minorities still face significant barriers to social mobility despite many having better qualifications than their white counterparts, according to researchers at the University of Manchester.

Chinese, Indian, Irish, Bangladeshi and black African students are now outperforming their white British peers in obtaining five or more GSCEs at grade A* to C, but increased attainment over the past 20 years has failed to translate into improved job outcomes, say academics from the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity.

About 43% of Chinese and 42% of Indian people had a degree-level qualification in 2011, compared with 26% of white British, while the most disadvantaged of the black and ethnic minority groups (BME) – Pakistani and Bangladeshi – had almost quadrupled their rates of degree-level qualifications since 1991.

Dr Laurence Brown, who contributed to the report, said: "It's clear that ethnic minorities in Britain are – in many cases – outperforming their white peers in both secondary and higher education. However, very few of these gains in education have translated into employment outcomes."

Black male unemployment has remained persistently double that of the white male population over the past two decades, and although self-employment is often seen as a promising route for ethnic economic advancement, for Pakistani men there is a disproportionate clustering in the transport sector - 53% of self-employed Pakistani men working in the transport industry compared to 8% of the rest of the population.

Bringing together some of Britain's largest longitudinal surveys, experts at the university defined rates of social mobility through finding the percentage who moved up or down from the occupational class of their father.

They found that 43% of white men and 45.6% white women moved up to a higher socio-economic class than their father and that in contrast, first generation black African, Indian and Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups had significantly lower upward mobility rates. Just 34.3% of first generation Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and 27.6% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women moved up from the socio-economic class of their father.

The researchers also found that social mobility differed with gender. Researchers noted that this was especially pronounced in the second generation black Caribbean and Chinese groups, with black Caribbean men (39.3%) and Chinese women (46.8%) experiencing lower rates of upward mobility than black Caribbean women (67.3%) or Chinese men (56.9%). They also described how second generation south-Asian men have benefitted more from upward occupational mobility than women.

The authors say their study shows a "need for new routes to mobility is crucial" as traditional pathways such as public sector employment have significantly narrowed over the past 20 years.

"The need for new routes to mobility is crucial given the over-exposure of ethnic minorities to deprivation and poverty in Britain, " explains Brown. "A third of Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups in England and a fifth of its Black African, Black Caribbean, and Arab populations live in the country's most deprived neighbourhoods compared with 8% of the white British population. "That is why finding new ways of enabling social mobility is a fundamental issue which needs to be tackled by policy makers."

The report, which will be presented at the House of Lords on Thursday in a seminar sponsored by Baroness Prashar, brings together education and employment research based on census analysis of ethnic groups with a considerable number of longitudinal surveys of individual experiences of social mobility.

Omar Khan, acting director of the Runnymede Trust thinktank, said: "This and previous other research has looked at other suggested explanations for why these persistent inequalities exist, but these other factors only explain part of the difference we continue to see between ethnic minorities and white British people today. This is yet another study that shows we have a long way to go to show we are a fair and society where ethnic minorities are able to fulfil their aspirations."

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/12/ethnic-minorities-social-mobility-employment

sorry to say but based on the attitudes on this site I'm not really surprised.   

veya_victaous wrote:sorry to say but based on the attitudes on this site I'm not really surprised.   

Quite!

When will people stop assuming that qualificiations will lead to a job? When will they realise that you could have degrees coming out of your ears but if you lack the drive to "succeed", you will get nowhere? These studies are very one-dimensional because they don't take individual attitudes into account.

So now we can't prove that 'other races' have less qualifications, we are going over to 'they have less drive and ambition' right?

Sassy wrote:So now we can't prove that 'other races' have less qualifications, we are going over to 'they have less drive and ambition' right?

That could apply to anyone, so the fact that someone has a degree doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be "upwardly mobile", regardless of their race.

What is wrong with being self employed in the transport industry anyway?

Are you suggesting that some employers deliberatly refuse to employ non-white people?

But the study shows that given the same or better qualifications they don't get the jobs, so it doesn't apply to everyone, does it.

Sassy wrote:But the study shows that given the same or better qualifications they don't get the jobs, so it doesn't apply to everyone, does it.

Maybe they don't apply for the same jobs, or maybe they're not what the employer is looking for in terms of personality or whatever. I don't think you can just assume it's because of the colour of their skin. The study also doesn't specify what they have qualifications in. If they have a degree in a non-vocational subject, they need to have more than a bit of paper in order to impress an employer. That goes for anyone of any colour.

I just think there is undue emphasis on having a degree. It does not, and never has, guaranteed anyone a job.

It doesn't matter what the qualification is in, the comparisons are between white people with qualifications and coloured people with qualifications, and it shows that the coloured people don't get the jobs that the white people do.   Nobody is saying that having a degree guarantees a job, what they are saying is, with the same qualifiications, or in some cases, better qualifications, coloured people don't get the jobs, white people do.

Sassy wrote:It doesn't matter what the qualification is in, the comparisons are between white people with qualifications and coloured people with qualifications, and it shows that the coloured people don't get the jobs that the white people do.   Nobody is saying that having a degree guarantees a job, what they are saying is, with the same qualifiications, or in some cases, better qualifications, colour people don't get the jobs, white people do.

Of course it matters what qualification it is! If it's a non-vocational subject, that will make a difference.

Also, this research does not specify whether or not these people are actally applying for the same jobs as white people. It's far too vague - like most academic studies. It's very difficult to get to the bottom of the issues when conducting such research. I should know - I've worked in that kind of research myself. You have to ask the right questions and talk to people properly, it's no good just relying on vague facts and figures.

for Pakistani men there is a disproportionate clustering in the transport sector - 53% of self-employed Pakistani men working in the transport industry compared to 8% of the rest of the population.

What does this mean? What's wrong with being self employed in the transport industry?

Suggest you read it again.

Sassy wrote:Suggest you read it again.

I suggest that you attempt to explain the signficance of that part.

What about this bit?

They found that 43% of white men and 45.6% white women moved up to a higher socio-economic class than their father and that in contrast, first generation black African, Indian and Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups had significantly lower upward mobility rates. Just 34.3% of first generation Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and 27.6% of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women moved up from the socio-economic class of their father.

For a start, it's rather sexist. No mention of mothers in there eh? What do they mean by "higher socio-economic class"?

Having the skill to find gaps in the market is probably the most important skill when looking for a job or becoming self employed.

If we were in the 1980s I would say to anyone, with a degree or not, learn to touch type and get a qualification in that. That opened more doors back then than most non-vocational degrees. Being able to do shorthand was a huge bonus at the time too.

If we were in the 1990s I would say get a qualification in IT.

I don't know where the gaps are these days. I found one and I'm sticking to it.   

Perhaps the ethnic minorities can go back to their ethnic homelands if they don't like it

In the words of our glorious leader benhamed "if you don't like it here fuck off"

You are going back home?   

smelly_bandit wrote:Perhaps the ethnic minorities can go back to their ethnic homelands if they don't like it

In the words of our glorious leader benhamed "if you don't like it here fuck off"

Excellent, so when are you leaving?

 ::D:: 

Didge wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:Perhaps the ethnic minorities can go back to their ethnic homelands if they don't like it

In the words of our glorious leader benhamed "if you don't like it here fuck off"

Excellent, so when are you leaving?

 ::D:: 

Why would I leave??

smelly_bandit wrote:

Didge wrote:


Excellent, so when are you leaving?

 ::D:: 

Why would I leave??

Well you do not seem to like it here always slagging it off.

So I am going by your logic


lol, catch you later Smeagolly

Didge wrote:

smelly_bandit wrote:

Why would I leave??

Well you do not seem to like it here always slagging it off.

So I am going by your logic


lol, catch you later Smeagolly

I do like it here - just the way it is, nice and civilised

Alas that is slowly changing due to the mass importing of ethnic and Muslim scum

smelly_bandit wrote:

Didge wrote:


Well you do not seem to like it here always slagging it off.

So I am going by your logic


lol, catch you later Smeagolly

I do like it here - just the way it is, nice and civilised

Alas that is slowly changing due to the mass importing of ethnic and Muslim scum

I think it was far right scum like you as well as extremist Muslim scum that was bringing hate to this country

We need to be rid of both really
Right am late for a meeting.

Ciao

Going back to the "drive and ambition" stuff, is it generally not accepted that if you didn't get your degree through drive and ambition, you probably got it by being talented?

Those things aren't just handed out to the public, you know ...

Ben_Reilly wrote:Going back to the "drive and ambition" stuff, is it generally not accepted that if you didn't get your degree through drive and ambition, you probably got it by being talented?

Those things aren't just handed out to the public, you know ...

pmsl

BigAndy9 wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:Going back to the "drive and ambition" stuff, is it generally not accepted that if you didn't get your degree through drive and ambition, you probably got it by being talented?

Those things aren't just handed out to the public, you know ...

pmsl

How is that a change from when you're not laughing?

Have you not thought that for whatever reason a white person may prefer to give employment to another white person just the same as the Pakistanis mostly employing their own females in the garment making industry.

Cobra wrote:Have you not thought that for whatever reason a white person may prefer to give employment to another white person just the same as the Pakistanis mostly employing their own females in the garment making industry.

There aren't many "Asian" businesses that employ white English people.

I think they should have open days where only white English are invited lol

ANOTHER excuse for "positive discrimination" ..I.E anti white racism...

victorisnotamused wrote:ANOTHER excuse for "positive discrimination" ..I.E anti white racism...

Look victor you effing RACIST - positive discrimination is not allowed in England!

Positive action is.

Stop being a god damn hairy white RACIST!

You see, we can all be a pleb when we want.

p.s. the above are actual facts though   

and here's me thinking being a pleb was your normal state  

Ben_Reilly wrote:Going back to the "drive and ambition" stuff, is it generally not accepted that if you didn't get your degree through drive and ambition, you probably got it by being talented?

Those things aren't just handed out to the public, you know ...

The drive required to get a degree is not the same as the drive required to get a career.

One aspect that comrade Sassy ignores is that ethnic minority candidates can and do claim racial discrimination f they are overlooked.

Strangely that doesn't apply to white indigenous people.

Have you ever read papers other than the Guardian Sassy I mean broadsheets. No wonder you see no bias in the BBC they follow the Guardian line.

From the article.....
"...while the most disadvantaged of the black and ethnic minority groups (BME) – Pakistani and Bangladeshi – had almost quadrupled their rates of degree-level qualifications since 1991....."
What percentage of the blacks, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis have got degree level qualifications then....:?
There are plenty of Indian and Chinese people with top jobs.
If the others aren't up to the grade then who's fault is that?