Glass ceilings still an obstacle for minority ethnic employees

Glass ceilings are forcing UK employees from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds to leave their current jobs in order to progress, according to a report released by Race for Opportunity, Business in the Community’s race diversity campaign.

‘Breaking Down Barriers’ surveyed 1,557 full-time employees from eight ethnic groups within the UK, including white Britons. The report investigates the levels of ambition among British workers from a BAME background and reveals the barriers preventing them from achieving those ambitions.

The report reveals that nearly a fifth of BAME employees have never been promoted, and on average receive far fewer promotions than their white counterparts. In contrast, white British employees have the lowest levels of ambition yet are being promoted at a far greater rate. There is, however, no ceiling to the ambition of ethnic minority workers in the UK with the majority aspiring to lead an organisation.

Race for Opportunity also asked what the perceived barriers were to realising these ambitions. Nearly 60% of Pakistani, 55% of African and half of Chinese employees do not feel they are supported by their line manager. Additionally, there is inadequate provision for training, with ethnic minority respondents saying they had been on fewer than two training schemes in the last year. Almost a third of Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani workers said they had not been on a training course at all in the last year, compared with white British workers who said they had been on more than two.