Find out how your organisation can attract and recruit young people from minority ethnic backgrounds.
People from minority ethnic backgrounds have consistently been unemployed at higher rates than their white peers, according to a 2023 House of Commons research briefing. This means that young people from Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority groups in the UK face more challenges in finding and retaining employment compared to their white counterparts.
Experts and advocacy groups believe that one of the main reasons for this is race discrimination–for example, the British Sociological Association reported that many employers rejected applications from candidates with “non-white” names. When employers reviewed fake applications for a particular job as part of one study, candidates with names that indicated they were likely to be white British were selected at twice the rate of candidates whose names suggested they were a member of an ethnic minority.
This means that, if your organisation wants to attract and recruit young people from these backgrounds (which you should!), you will need to take proactive steps to do so. Here are some of the most important strategies you can use as you work to diversify your applicant and talent pools.
Use Diverse Channels to Advertise Your Roles
Different applicants look for jobs in different places and, if your applicants are generally more homogenous than you would like, it’s time to look at expanding where you are placing your advertisements.
Traditional avenues such as LinkedIn and online jobs boards are a great place to start, but they are not the full story. You should also consider advertising with local schools or colleges with high percentages of minority ethnic students (more on that in a minute!), on the various social media channels, and through organisations specifically targeting these groups such as BME Jobs, the Black Young Professionals network, and Diverse Jobs Matter.
Work with Schools in Primarily Minority Ethnic Areas
One of the most important elements in recruiting young people from diverse backgrounds is ensuring that those young people see themselves reflected in your organisation and can envision themselves working for you. A great way to do this is to work with schools or colleges with large populations of minority ethnic students.
Working with schools can take many different forms. For example, you might offer workshops on employability skills such as CV writing, interviewing successfully, or how to excel in the workplace. You could also arrange work experience placements for students, provide activities for the school to use in PSHE or Careers Skills lessons, and bring young people to your site for job shadowing or taster days.
Through working with schools and colleges, you can inspire young people, empower them to imagine themselves in fulfilling careers, and build a pipeline of potential talent for the future.
Create a Mentoring Scheme
Mentorship refers to matching up a young person with a more experienced member of your team who can provide support, advice, upskilling, and a positive presence as the young person transitions into the world of work.
Through working with schools and colleges, you can begin providing mentoring long before students are ready to apply for jobs. A strong mentoring scheme can create a pipeline of potential future employees as students who benefited from the scheme will be aware of your organisation and think of you when the time comes for them to apply for work.
Mentoring can continue once a young person has been hired to work with you, and a good mentoring scheme can be a great selling point to ambitious young people from minority backgrounds who are looking to advance in their careers.
Consider Alternative Routes to Employment
How do you bring new talent into your organisation? If you are only using traditional routes such as advertising roles and inviting people to apply, you may be missing out on some great talent. If possible, consider alternative ways to bring new young employees into your organisation.
Apprenticeships, for example, can be a fantastic way to reach young people who have not followed the traditional academic educational route but who are talented, committed, and eager to learn. Traineeships, graduate schemes, and paid internships are other great choices to consider.
Use Inclusive Language
An inclusive job ad is the first step to creating a diverse workforce. The wrong job ad can put off young people before they even apply, so it is essential to get this part right. Diversity and inclusion is very important to young people, and this begins with writing an inclusive job ad.
An inclusive job ad does not use gendered language (for example, you might say “the post holder” or “they” rather than “he or she”.) It does not use language that could be perceived as culturally insensitive (common terms such as “ninja” and “guru” are culturally appropriative and can be offensive, for example.)
Finally, be aware of listing requirements that could put young people from ethnic minorities off from applying. A common example is “native English speaker” (or “strong English language skills”). This can be exclusionary to young people who may be immigrants or have learned English as a second language.
Think Very Carefully About Your Essential Requirements
Did you know that certain job requirements can be exclusionary without intending to be? One common example is jobs that ask for a degree as an essential requirement.
While students from some ethnic minority backgrounds have higher university entry rates compared to their white peers, others have lower rates. Black Caribbean pupils, in particular, have disproportionately low rates of admission to more prestigious universities. Black students are also more likely to drop out of university than white students, and less likely to achieve a First or Upper-Second Class degree. This phenomenon is known as the attainment gap. Lack of diversity amongst students and staff, non-inclusive curricula, and unconscious bias in assessments are some of the factors that may contribute towards it.
Therefore, do not ask for a degree unless it is truly essential. And if you do have to ask for a degree, ensure that you are not giving undue preference to students who have gone to the most prestigious universities.
Show Your Organisation’s Diversity at Every Stage
When you are working with schools or colleges, posting content to social media or your organisation’s website, or putting together an interview panel, pay attention to diversity and ensure that different groups are represented.
Diversity begets diversity. This means that, if young people from ethnic minority backgrounds see themselves reflected in your organisation, they will be more likely to imagine your company as a place where they can work, succeed, and thrive.
