A detailed picture of the relationship between ethnicity and labour market participation is available from the last three Censuses, covering the period 1991-2011. Over this time there have been substantial shifts in the position of ethnic minority people in policy discussions, with the implication that discrimination and racism is far less of a problem than it used to be. This briefing will summarise research based on the Census, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the ESRC, on changes in ethnic disadvantage in the labour market over the last twenty years, moving beyond a focus just on unemployment to also cover labour market activity, part-time work and self-employment. It will provide a more detailed account of the situation in 2011 and will connect accounts of past and the current generations of ethnic minority people with current policy discussions.

Speakers: James Nazroo, Professor of Sociology and Director of CCSR, and Dharmi Kapadia, University of Manchester