A new report has found ethnic minorities are finding their paths to top jobs is blocked.
The research was carried out by researchers at Heriot-Watt University, on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and was presented to a conference organised by the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (Scotland) (CEMVO) in Glasgow.
It found workers from ethnic minorities are “segregated and isolated” in the workplace, raising questions about inclusion from employers.
CEMVO director Colin Lee stated it is clear from the results of the study that racial discrimination is still rife in a lot of workplaces, reports the Scotsman.
“There was still conscious and unconscious bias in managerial structures about equality, so there was still bias towards the indigenous white population in terms of promotion, support and senior management roles,” he said.
Dr Gina Netto of Heriot-Watt’s school of the built environment called for links between equality and anti-poverty policies to be more “consistent and explicit”, noting a lack of support in the workplace for minorities can lead to “low pay traps”, as well as a waste of potential.
The report highlighted the fact that although many firms may have the right equality policies in place, they may not be implemented in workplaces in practice.
Mr Lee added: “There’s still very much a subculture that exists of favouritism and bias and prejudice in terms of organisations, where you’re talking about institutional racism.”
Labour MSP Hanzala Malik stated it is clear many people from ethnic minorities in Glasgow are stuck in low-paid employment and find their way to promotion is blocked, adding there is “very little support to get them out of poverty”.
This report comes only a short time after the latest government-backed Workplace Employment Relations Survey revealed those from ethnic minority backgrounds account for at least one tenth of employees in 21 per cent of workplaces.