With youth unemployment rising across the UK, young black men, who faced employment inequalities even before the crisis, are at particular risk. In response, a coalition of charities and young black men have called for the Government to take positive action to close the employment gap between young black men and young white men.
The four asks for the Government are:
- To publish quarterly unemployment statistics by age, gender and ethnicity.
- To require local action plans to tackle ethnic employment gaps in areas of high unemployment.
- To require all employers with 250+ employees to monitor and publish information about job applications and appointments by age, gender and ethnicity (including in relation to apprentices).
- To adopt the Inclusive Employer Toolkit and encourage all employers to use it and report on progress.
The coalition – called Moving on Up – has been working since 2014 to increase employment opportunities for young black men in London. Members include the Black Training Enterprise Group (BTEG) and Trust for London, working closely with the Mayor of London’s Workforce Integration Network, Jobcentre Plus, plus a wide range of employers, voluntary and community sector organisations, and most importantly young black male ambassadors.
