Getting in, Getting by, Getting on Equality in the workplace Alun Thomas

EHRC Perceptions Study Research carried out by GfK NOP on behalf of EHRC Random sample of 1,087 adults aged 16+ interviewed Interviews conducted across Great Britain Findings weighted to represent the general population in GB

Key Findings Two out of five (41%) of those who had faced discrimination of some kind said it occurred at work Three quarters (74%) think that most discrimination occurs in the workplace Half consider that schools, colleges and universities are also common sites for unfairness

THE GENDER AGENDA

Equality at Work 12% pay gap between women and men’s full- time earnings, rising to 31% for part-time women. 75% of the workforce in the lowest paid jobs- catering, cleaning, caring, clerical and cashier work are women. 33% of Pakistani women of working age are economically active.

THE LGB AGENDA

Equality at work ½ of gay employees still feel unable to reveal their sexual orientation at work. 55% of gay employees facing workplace discrimination report a direct negative work impact. 1 in 4 lesbian, gay or bisexual people have been dismissed or forced to leave a job because of their sexuality.

THE AGE AGENDA

Equality at work 30% of workers are aware of an older person getting paid more than a younger person for doing the same job. People over 50 make up 30% of the working age population. Nine out of ten older employees believe that employers discriminate against them. The gender pay gap increases with age.

THE RACE AGENDA

Economic Activity There is a wide variation in economic activity rates across minority ethnic groups. The White group has a lower unemployment rate than any other ethnic background. All ethnic groups have a lower activity rates for women than men-the largest difference being in the Asian groups.

Equality at Work 28% pay gap between Pakistani women and white British men. 24% of Bangladeshi women of working age in Wales are economically active. 63% of migrant domestic workers’ passports are withheld by their employers. 12% of immigrant Somalis are in employment, compared with 62 % of all other immigrants.

THE RELIGION AND BELIEF AGENDA

Equality at Work 2 out of 3 Hindu and Muslim women are economically inactive double that for women of other religions. Muslim and Sikh men are most likely to be working in low skilled jobs. Only 1 in 3 employers has an explicit policy on managing religious beliefs in the workplace. A third of Muslims of working age in GB have no qualifications.

THE DISABILITY AGENDA

Equality at Work People with a disability or long-term illness are twice as likely to be economically inactive The income of women who are classed as disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act is half that of disabled men. Working people with mental health problems are less likely to have a permanent job than people with other health problems. People with a disability or long-term illness are increasingly likely to be working from home and are more likely to be carers than other people.

Getting In How to make work a more attractive option for women and disabled people who have been out of the labour market for five years plus? Is the public sector inadvertently discrimination at point of entry? – the spurious use of ‘fitness for work’ How effective are outreach policies in securing a more balanced workforce?

Getting In (2) What opportunities and pitfalls apply to tools such as work shadowing, work experience, secondments and placements to broaden employee profile?

Getting By How would you encourage take-up of flexible working without enhancing disadvantage in the workplace? How would you sensitively approach issues of workforce monitoring and declaration? How can we challenge unreasonable and often unspoken expectations of work colleagues?

Getting By (2) How should we deliver sustainable employment opportunities to groups more likely to drop out of the labour market without intervention? Is it time to rethink our approach to equal pay – negotiated settlements and group actions? What opportunities are there to tie sustainability of employment into preferred contractor status?

Getting On How effective are we in anticipating the impact of demography on our workforce? Are you encountering a retention problem and is this more prevalent in some groups? Is retention more of an issue in routinised or semi-routinised roles?

Getting On (2) How best to address enhancing skill levels amongst occupations and roles that are primarily low skill or routinised? How best to address the glass ceilings in our workplaces?

CONTACT DETAILS

EHRC Helpline Wales Bilingual Service Phone: Wales Textphone: