Young Black employees in the UK continue to face racism and workplace barriers despite the popularity and reach of the Black Lives Matter movement. For those forced to overcome these obstacles, navigating professional settings has been both upsetting and harmful, from unequal pay to unfair treatment. Compared to 34 percent of white professionals, more than half of Black women and over 40 percent of all Black respondents plan to stay at their companies for just two years or less, according to reports.
Regarding career advancement, Black professionals must work twice as much as their colleagues. The truth is that with systemic biases and structural barriers, Black professionals lack access to jobs and thus advance slowly into senior roles.
Barriers to Black Professional Progression
A workplace is an excellent place for Black talent to grow and thrive. Through broader knowledge, experience, and ideas, a truly diverse workplace makes stronger teams where everyone benefits. However, when certain people are excluded, it’s a loss for everyone.
Young Black workers face numerous challenges in accessing employment and work experiences. According to a survey of over 1,000 young Black people, many face multiple barriers to employment, from education to landing jobs and advancing in their careers. This disparity is evident regardless of education and skills.
Job Insecurity
Black professionals aren’t only plagued with a lack of access to the labour market and accessibility to good jobs. Black professionals are disproportionately impacted by unstable employment, with 15.2 percent having non-permanent jobs compared to 8.4% of whites. Varied employment is accompanied by low pay, unstable finances, and underemployment. Consequently, risking fundamental employment rights.
Employment pay gap
When it comes to salary, UK Black professionals are the least satisfied. Almost half of Black talent in the UK have personally experienced or believe that a pay gap exists because of their race in their current workplace. Despite attaining higher levels of education, Black people earn a quarter less than their whites counterparts.
Unfair work environment
Discrimination is rife in the workplace, especially among Black professionals. According to a report, a hostile work environment is a significant contributing factor pushing Black women out of the workforce.
How BYP Jobs Board Closes the gap
Discrimination, a lack of qualifications and networks, a mismatch in skills, and other issues all contribute to underrepresentation in the workforce. Employers need to take proactive measures to change this.
Understanding the various needs within your company and creating a culture in which everyone feels included will provide the ultimate competitive advantage to address diversity and inclusion.
Are you looking for a new career? Job boards are valuable resources for hiring managers and recruiters wanting to hire new employees. BYP’s Job Board allows companies to reach a pool of exceptionally qualified, specialised Black professionals. Having a job board that has done the research makes for a much simpler process for job seekers and employers.
Visit the job board now for your next career move.
