Equality fail | Ethnicity & gender still 'major career barriers' for young staff

New research has found that ethnicity is still a barrier when it comes to people from Black, Asian or mixed race backgrounds getting ahead at work.

The research was conducted by accountancy and advisory firm BDO, which surveyed 1,000 people and asked them what they felt was holding them back when applying for, or being interviewed for, a new role. The findings revealed that more than two fifths (45%) of mixed-race respondents, 50% of Asian respondents and 63% of Black respondents believe their ethnicity may potentially impact a job application or interview.

Gender also proved problematic, with 38% of female respondents to the survey believing it affected their chances of being offered a job as opposed to 25% of males.

What this suggests is that, despite the work that’s been done to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces, much more still needs to be done. In January, business leaders including the CEOs of M&S and Co-op signed a diversity pledge aimed at creating more inclusive workplaces across the country – and for many big businesses, from Ricoh to BP, ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) plays a significant role in their corporate agenda.