Despite many initiatives and the passing of legislation to try and end discrimination in the workplace, a new report has found that ethnic minorities still face “significant barriers” when attempting to find a job in Scotland.
MSPs revealed in a new report that they found a number of ethnic minorities to be held back by racial discrimination with Holyrood's Equal Opportunities Committee urging the Scottish Government to take action to tackle "defective" employment and recruitment practices.
The investigation into the employment issues regarding ethnic minorities in Scotland found that ethnic minorities are on average, more likely to be unemployed or in low-paid work. As well as being underemployed or underpaid, ethnic minorities were also more likely to be underrepresented in senior management levels despite performing better academically in comparison to white Scots.
The issues were outlined in the committee's report which reads: "We heard of the significant barriers facing people from ethnic minorities in gaining employment and developing a career.
"The evidence indicated a situation that is not acceptable, and we were extremely concerned to hear of how discrimination and lack of access to opportunities are holding back many talented and committed individuals.
"To tackle discrimination and promote diversity in Scotland the Scottish Government must recognise the recommendations in our report. It should, therefore, give greater priority to the issue and target appropriately a range of resources."
