2. About Race for Opportunity (RfO)
RfO is committed to improving
employment opportunities for
ethnic minorities across the UK.
It is the only race diversity
campaign that has access to and
influence over the leaders of the
UK’s best known organisations.
The campaign aims to:
• make clear the economic and business
argument for organisations investing
in race diversity;
• highlight the responsibility and role
of leaders in delivering race diversity;
• communicate the need to speed up
progress on the introduction of policies
that further better representation of
ethnic minorities;
• raise awareness of the barriers preventing
the BAME community from making
progress in the workplace.
“There is an overwhelming opportunity for
employers who embrace race diversity and
inclusion to harness the diverse talent
that exists in the UK today. The Race for
Opportunity campaign in collaboration with
its network members will continue to set the
stage for race equality and progression in
the UK and this challenge is one that I am
very pleased to be part of.”
Ruby McGregor-Smith
CEO, MITIE Group PLC and Chair, Race for Opportunity.
3. Regional Factsheet • East of England
This factsheet is all about ethnic minority people
in the East of England region and contains information
that is available in the public domain.
Inside
[ 1 ] Landscape Data............................................................................................................ 04
1.1 The East of England picture....................................................................................... 04
1.2 An overall snapshot of the UK.................................................................................. 04
[ 2 ] Where do ethnic minority people live in the East of England?................... 05
[ 3 ] Focus on Luton.............................................................................................................. 05
[ 4 ] Education........................................................................................................................ 06
4.1 Where do ethnic minority students study in the East of England?............... 06
[ 5 ] Religion............................................................................................................................07
.
5.1 A snapshot of the East of England...........................................................................07
5.2 The UK overall picture..................................................................................................07
[ 6 ] Employment................................................................................................................... 08
6.1 Ethnic minority employment rate in the East of England................................ 08
6.2 Employment Rate - UK................................................................................................. 08
[ 7 ] Simple steps to get started on race equality.................................................... 09
Acknowledgements...................................................................................................... 10
Race for Opportunity Members.................................................................................11
4. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 1 ] Landscape Data
1.1
The East of England • It also has one of the fastest (18 and 10 per cent respectively).
growing populations in the UK Forest Heath has a USA military
The East of England had a and is projected to continue base and a small overall
growing at a faster rate than the population this could contribute
population of 5.7 million in UK as a whole. It has the highest to the high proportion of Other
2007, amounting to 9.3 per total net migration rate of all the
English regions.
White population.
Source: Portrait of the East of England, ONS 2008
cent of the UK population.
Source: Regional Profile East of England – ONS –
National Statistics online
• The East of England has a higher
This is the fourth highest • The largest non-White ethnic
proportion of people aged over
45 than the England average
population of all regions in group in the region is Asian and this is growing. By 2021 it is
or Asian British who make up predicted that 50 per cent of the
the UK after the South East 3.3 per cent of the population population will be over 50 years.
compared with 5.5 per cent of
(8.3 million), London (7.6 the population of England.
Source: BME access to skills, employment and enterprise
services in the East of England, final report for MENTER
million) and the North
prepared by the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion,
Source: Portrait of the East of England, ONS 2008
June 2007
West (6.9 million). • In Luton the largest ethnic group
Source: Portrait of the East of England, ONS 2008 after White British is Asian (20
per cent of the population),
whereas in Forest Heath and
Cambridge it is Other White
1.2
Number, Representation and Proportion of Ethnic Minority Population
An overall snapshot in NUTS1 Regions in the UK - 2008
Proportion of UK
of the UK Region Ethnic Minority
Population
Representation of
Ethnic Minorities
Ethnic Minority
Population
London has the East of England 435,400 7.7% 6.7%
largest ethnic minority East Midlands
London
371,100
2,735,800
8.5%
36.2%
5.7%
42.3%
population in the UK. North East 100,900 4.0% 1.6%
North West 543,500 8.0% 8.4%
Of the 6.4 million ethnic Northern Ireland 29,800 1.7% 0.5%
Scotland 145,700 2.9% 2.3%
minorities in the UK South East 583,700 7.1% 9.0%
nearly half, 42.3%, South West
Wales
163,400
91,500
3.2%
3.1%
2.5%
1.4%
live in London. West Midlands 792,500 14.8% 12.3%
Yorkshire and 471,900 9.2% 7.3%
the Humber
United Kingdom 6,465,100 10.7% 100.0
Source: NOMIS – number and proportion of ethnic minority population in NUTS1 regions in the UK - 2008
04 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
5. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 2 ] Where do ethnic minority people live in the East of England?
Of all the local authorities, Luton had the highest proportion of
non-White British residents at 40 per cent followed by Forest Heath
(in Suffolk) with 29 per cent and Cambridge with 26 per cent.
Source: Portrait of the East of England, ONS 2008
[ 3 ] Focus on Luton
Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of the
20th century Irish and Scottish people arrived in the town - these were
followed by Afro-Caribbean and Asian immigrants.
• More recently immigrants from
Luton: Ethnicity: 2005 Office of National Statistics estimates
Eastern Europe have made Luton
their home. As a result of this
Luton % East of England% Luton has a diverse ethnic mix,
with a significant population of
White 68% 92.8% Asian descent, mainly Pakistani
(9.8%), Bangladeshi (4.3%) and
Mixed 2.8% 1.4% Indian (4.2%). The 2005 Office
Asian or Asian British 19.3% 3.1% of National Statistics figures
revealed that Luton had a white
Black or Black British 7.9% 1.6% population of 68% (of which
Chinese or Other white British amounted
2.0% 1.1% to 61.3%).
Ethnic Group
Total 100% 100%
More than 10% of the UK workforce is from an ethnic minority
background and over 20% of the emerging workforce (children in
primary and secondary school education), are from an ethnic minority
background. In addition to this, 16% of UK-domiciled students at
university in the UK are from an ethnic minority background.
Britain’s current and future talent pool is racially diverse and
progressive employers understand that it makes good business
sense to utilise and grow this pool of talent.
05 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
6. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 4 ] Education
1 in 4 of pupils in primary school education in England are from
an ethnic minority background. Source: DCSF release May 2009, ‘number of pupils in state maintained schools’
1 in 5 of pupils in secondary school education in England is
from an ethnic minority background. Source: DCSF release May 2009, ‘number of pupils in state maintained schools’
Almost 1 in 6 (16%) of UK-domiciled students studying at UK
universities is from an ethnic minority background.
Source: 2007-08 ‘HESA Student Record’ published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
4.1 Where do ethnic minority
students study in the Ethnic Minorities at Universities in the East of England (2007 - 08)
East of England? University of Bedfordshire 28.8%
During the academic year 2007-2008,
Anglia Ruskin University 13.2%
the University of Bedfordshire had
the highest black, Asian and minority The University of Cambridge 10.5%
ethnic (BAME) student representation
in the region at 28.8%. The University of East Anglia 7.9%
Only one out of nine universities in
the East of England, including the University Campus Suffolk 6.5%
University of Cambridge, was above
The University of Lincoln 6.0%
the national average of 16.0%. The Total Ethnic Minority
representation of ethnic minorities Norwich University
5.0%
Representation
College of the Arts
at nearly half of the universities was All UK Unis. - 16.0%
higher than the BAME representation Writtle College 2.8% East Pop. (18-24) - 7.8%
in the local population (7.8%). BAME Bishop Grosseteste
representation at the University 2.7%
University College Lincoln
of Cambridge was lower than the
national average at 10.5%.
5 10 15 20 25 30
Source: 2007-08 ‘HESA Student Record’ published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
“More BAME students join the unemployed
after graduation than White graduates and
male Chinese and Pakistani students are twice
as likely as the average to be unemployed” (2006)
Source: www.aimhigher.ac.uk/sites/practitioner/resources/Conf%20Summary%20Report%20final%20(2).pdf
06 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
7. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 5 ] Religion
5.1 A snapshot of the East of England
The Census in 2001, for the first time, included a question about faiths.
The results of from this question paint an interesting picture. Across the
Eastern Region 72% of the population gave their religion as Christian,
with Muslims forming the second-largest faith group (1.46%). Those
with no religion form nearly 17% of the population, while 7.75% chose
not to answer this question. Source: Census 2001
• At the sub-regional level there are significant variations from this pattern: for example,
Muslims account for 15% of the population in Luton, 11% in Hertsmere and 6% in
Peterborough, while Jews account for 11% of the population in Hertsmere.
Source: http://www.eefaithscouncil.org.uk/faithc.htm
• A measure of religious diversity is the proportion of the population who belong to the non-
Christian religions. On this measure, Mid Suffolk (0.62%) and North Norfolk (0.60%) have
the lowest religious diversity. Urban areas tend so show greater religious diversity, the highest
figures being:
Luton (19.04%)
Hertsmere (15.70%)
Watford (10.14%)
Peterborough (7.64%)
Bedford (7.49%)
Source: http://www.eefaithscouncil.org.uk/faithc.htm
Religions within the UK
5.2 The UK overall picture
In the UK, 2.7% of the
Christian - 71.6%
population stated their
No Religion/
Religion not stated - 23%
religion as Muslim making
Other - 0.3%
Sikh - 0.6%
this the most common
Muslim - 2.7% religion after Christianity.
Jewish - 0.5%
Hindu - 1% Figures for England alone,
Buddhist - 0.3%
show that 3.1% of the
population stated their
religion as Muslim.
Source: Census 2001 – Profiles - UK
07 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
8. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 6 ] Employment
6.1 Ethnic minority employment rate in the East of England
The Cenusus 2001 revealed that the BAME employment rate in the East of England
was 64.3 per cent which was above the England and Wales average of 60 per cent.
Unemployment was lower in the Eastern region than nationally for both White
and non-White groups.
Source: BME access to skills, employment and enterprise services in the East of England, final report for MENTER prepared by the Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion, June 2007
• Bangladeshi and Pakistani women were Employment Rates for different Groups
most likely to be unemployed, while the 0.8
lowest rates of unemployment were
found amongst Chinese males. The high 0.7
rates of unemployment for Bangladeshi
and Pakistani women were consistent 0.6
throughout the region, although higher
rates were found among Other Black
males in Essex and Mixed White and Black 0.5
Caribbean males in Hertfordshire.
0.4
• Regional statistics for 2004
0.3
revealed that 75 per cent of
Bangladeshi and 69 per cent of 0.2
Pakistani women were neither 0.1
working nor seeking work
compared to 25 per cent of White All People Female Non-white Disabled Pakistani/
Bangladeshi
British women and 26 per cent Source: East of England Regional Development Agency Single Equality Scheme 2009-12,
ninth draft 31 August 2009
of Black Caribbean women.
6.2 Employment Rate - UK
• In the East of England, economic activity
rates were highest for Indian males, The ethnic minority employment gap as of Q3 2009
with 77.9 per cent and the lowest for
Bangladeshi females with 26.3 per cent.
was 13.8 percentage points.
• The 2001 census also indicated that the The UK ethnic minority employment rate is 59.2%
majority of BME groups were located in the
wholesale and retail trade, and repair of Young ethnic minorities (aged 16 – 24 years) appear
motor vehicle industries. Health and social to be particularly affected by the recession, as the
work were the second largest industry for
BME employees.
ethnic minority employment rate for young people
Source: BME access to skills, employment and enterprise services in
has fallen by 5.2 percentage points since 2008.
the East of England, final report for MENTER prepared by the Centre for Source: ‘Ethnic Minorities in the Labour Market: Quarter 3, 2009 - Ethnic Minority Analysis Team,
Economic & Social Inclusion, June 2007 November 2009
08 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
9. Regional Factsheet • East of England
[ 7 ] Simple steps to get started on Race Equality
Leadership Community Involvement
• Consider appointing a Diversity / Race Diversity • Review the community impact work being done by
Champion to lead on the race agenda your organisation and check whether they impact
within your organisation. on diverse communities.
• Develop a clear business case for working on race • As education and skills are the critical components
and link it to business objectives. of any workforce, consider partnering with a local
• Develop an action plan on race and integrate it into school where ethnic minority children could benefit
the key performance indicators of your managers. from increased educational attainment.
• Develop links with local universities that have
relatively high proportions of ethnic minority
People and Employees students and offer work placements/experiences.
• Tell your recruitment agencies, recruitment
consultants and head-hunters that your organisation Supplier Diversity
is committed to racial equality and ask them to send
you lists containing diverse candidates. • Do an audit of your current suppliers to find out
• Explicitly state in your recruitment marketing whether you have awarded any contracts to ethnic
materials that individuals from diverse backgrounds minority owned businesses.
are welcome in your organisation. • Consider publishing clear guidance notes to help
• Monitor the ethnicity of your workforce and compare ethnic minority businesses tender for contracts
it to the local population. with your organisation.
• Send your procurement officers to local supplier
events to raise their awareness of products/services
Customers, Clients and Service Users available from local ethnic minority suppliers.
• Ensure your marketing teams or policy makers are
signed up to your organisation’s commitment to
race equality.
• Review your advertising and promotional material to
ensure they reflect the diverse marketplace, both in
the content and images used.
• Consider including ethnic minorities in your focus
groups and evaluation sessions for promotional or
marketing campaigns.
09 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
10. Regional Factsheet • East of England
”Quite simply, communities equal customers and
potential employees. If you rely on traditional
perceptions of who these groups are, you limit
your pool of talent and your target market.”
Mike Brophy, BITC Regional Director, East of England
Acknowledgements
This publication has been made possible through funding from the Department for
Local Communities and Government (DCLG) Tackling Race Inequalities Fund (TRIF)
10 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
11. Race for Opportunity Members 2010
Accenture Education Leeds Northumbrian Water
Addecco English Partnerships North West Development Agency
Addleshaw Goddard LLP Enterprise Rent-A-Car Nottingham Trent University
Advantage West Midlands Environment Agency OCS Group
American Express PLC Ernst & Young LLP OfCom
Arriva plc Eversheds Office of Fair Trading
ASDA Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Office of National Statistics
Aston Carter FSA One NorthEast
Avon & Somerset Constabulary Fujitsu Services Open University
Avon Fire Brigade GlaxoSmithKline Orange PCS
B&Q Goldman Sachs International OTC Computing Ltd
Baker & McKenzie Government Office For The North West Pearson plc
Bank of England Google Pertemps Recruitment Partnerships
Barclays Bank PLC Guardian Media Group PricewaterhouseCoopers
BBC Healthcare Commission Procter & Gamble
BDO Stoy Hayward Herbert Smith Provident Financial
BIS (Department for Business, Home Office Prudential
Innovation & Skills) HM Revenue & Customs Rolls-Royce Military Aero Engines
Biotechnology & Biological Science HM Treasury Royal Air Force
Research Council HSBC Bank Plc Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Birmingham City University IBM UK Ltd Royal Navy
BP International John Lewis Partnership Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd
Britannia Building Society JP Morgan Santander
British Airways KPMG Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA)
British Army Law Society England and Wales Severn Trent
British Energy Learning & Skills Council Sheffield Hallam University
British Library Legal & General Investment Mgmt Shell Companies in the UK
Bristol City Council Leicestershire Constabulary Simmons & Simmons
BT Linklaters Slaughter & May
BUPA Lloyds Banking Group Sodexho
Capgemini London 2012 State Street Corporation
Capital One London Ambulance The Insolvency Service
Centrica London Borough of Brent Thomson Reuters
Cisco Lovells Transport for London
Citi Marks & Spencer plc UBS Investment Bank
Citizens Advice McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd University of Bradford
Communities & Local Government Merrill Lynch Europe University of Bristol
Co-operative Financial Services plc Metropolitan Police University of Central Lancashire
Co-operative (The) Michael Page Financial Services University of Durham
Credit Suisse Midcounties Co-operative (The) University of Teesside
Cummins Engine Company Ltd Midlands Heart University of West of England
Deloitte LLP Ministry of Defence Unum Provident
Department for Children, Schools Ministry of Justice Vodafone Ltd
and Families MITIE Welsh Assembly Government
Department for Environment, MDPGA (MoD Police & Guarding Agency) West Midlands Police
Food & Rural Affairs Morgan Stanley International Ltd Westminster City Council
Department for Work and Pensions National Grid WPP
Department of Health National Museum of Science and Industry Wragge & Co
Derby College National Portrait Gallery
Deutsche Bank Nationwide Building Society
East of England Development Agency Network Rail Champion Members are in BOLD
EDF Energy NHS Employers List of RfO Members 08/03/2010
11 I Race for Opportunity (RfO) | Regional Factsheet
