SCOTTISH businesses have the opportunity to lead the UK in ethnic employment opportunities, a conference in Glasgow will hear today.
Joy Lewis, chief executive of Adopt an Intern (AAI) will make the call to more than 130 potential employers, policymakers and community leaders at the launch of Diversity Works.
This is an inclusive employment initiative aimed at helping businesses to better attract talented black, minority and ethnic (BME) women into the Scottish workforce.
Lewis will highlight the need for more inclusive hiring and work processes and urge Scottish business leaders to do more and reap the benefits of a truly diverse workforce.
AAI has worked with more than 900 firms since its launch in 2010 and last year it successfully staged a series of women returner events throughout Scotland.
Scottish Government statistics have previously recorded the employment rate of BME workers as 13% lower than white counterparts, with a higher gap (20%) for BME women than men (8%).
A separate report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) showed that unemployment rates for BME workers are higher, at 13.2% compared to 6.9% for other workers.
Lewis said: “This is not about quotas or even a feel-good factor for employers. Having worked with close to 1000 businesses over the last 10 years, we have a developed knowledge of what works well for employers and makes them thrive.
“Our exposure and work with ethnic minority groups and BME women returners particularly over the last 18 months or so has highlighted the repeat challenges and barriers that exist to their gaining employment.
“I believe there is a real opportunity for Scottish businesses to benefit from it and lead the way for true diversity in the UK.”
Viana Maya, a successful participant of AAI’s minority ethnic employment initiative, added: “Giving BME women the opportunity to get into valuable work will bring a great diversity and innovation that an organisation may not realise they were missing.”
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