Discovering Scotland’s Untapped Potential 🎓
Over the past few weeks, we have been honoured to share our key findings and bring the respondents’ voices to specific rooms, including the Scottish Government lead employability Network.
Our latest comprehensive report unveils a wealth of untapped talent within Scotland’s ethnic minority communities. The data reveals a highly educated group, with 77.8% of respondents holding an undergraduate degree, of which 38.6% have a Master’s degree and 8.6%PhDs. Yet, 83% of those employed or underemployed primarily work as carers in the health sector.
Regrettably, our findings also expose a darker truth – a shocking 82% of the 638 respondents have experienced discrimination in the job-seeking process. One respondent poignantly shared their experience:
“Sometimes, I wonder why we should be penalised for pursuing higher degrees…one employer actually mentioned during an interview- he asked ‘why is it that you people are well educated but end up as cleaners, carers and cab drivers’… I felt very humiliated and disrespected… It was meant to be a job interview and not a research interview!”
“Poverty’s vicious cycle: How the UK’s Cost of Living Crisis Magnifies Inequality for Multi-Ethnic Communities in Scotland,” underscores this struggle. Despite working multiple jobs, many individuals from multi-ethnic backgrounds continue to grapple with poverty. ”
A startling 50.6% of respondents in this report had between 2 and 3 jobs, while 2.4% had more than three jobs. Even with 72.1% of these individuals being employed, self-employed, or underemployed, the majority still earn less than £20,000 annually. This highlights the pressing issue of in-work poverty.
These stories underscore the urgent need to root out discrimination and bias in the job-seeking, interview process, and in-work discrimination and address the systemic issue of in-work poverty. We must champion these hidden talents, create more pathways for this skilled group to flourish across sectors, and foster a culture of respect and inclusion.
Explore our reports below
