Black, minority representation in UK senior-level jobs remains vanishingly small - Report

According to Business in the Community, a group founded by Prince William to support responsible business, just 1.5 percent of people in the 3.7 million leadership roles in the UK are occupied by black people despite making up three percent of the population.

A similar report six years ago found that number at 1.4 percent.

“Twenty-five years on from the Business in the Community’s Race Equality Campaign being launched, it is clear that black people continue to be under-represented at a senior level. This lack of diverse leadership has a direct impact on decision-making. This is more crucial than ever when the evidence shows that BAME people continue to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19,” Sandra Kerr, race director at Business in the Community, was quoted as saying in the report.

Kerr called on companies to take urgent action to change the hiring culture in senior-level positions in the country.

“Black livelihoods matter and employers need to take urgent action to ensure that their organisation is inclusive and a place where people of any ethnic background can thrive and succeed,” Kerr said.

The report comes on the back of a worldwide movement to rethink racial dynamics in societies in response to the killing of African-American George Floyd at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer last month. 

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