Our Knowledge Centre provides a hub for information and insights surrounding the issue of race equity in business, all in one place.
Bain research commissioned by the BTC examining Black underrepresentation in the financial and professional services in the UK.
By
Bain & Company
Summary
Finance and professional services roles are among the highest-paid and most influential jobs in the UK, yet analysis by the Black Talent Charter (BTC), produced with support from Bain & Company, reveals these sectors to have among the lowest proportions of Black representation in industries across the UK economy.
BTC Opinion
This research is a stark warning that the commitments made in 2020 are yet to translate into systemic change. In fact, the data shows that we're actually moving backwards, with business failing to keep pace with the rate of societal change. Improving pathways is essential but insufficient in isolation.
As DEI work faces increasing scrutiny socially, politically, and legally, organizations are taking extra care to re-evaluate their DEI efforts.
By
Harvard Business Review
Summary
Leaders are right to consider change, not as a reaction to backlash, but to work toward a more accountable, transparent, and successful vision of what DEI could be. The author identifies three things that need to change: 1) Clumsy, jargon-heavy communication, 2) disconnected and decoupled DEI goals and programs, and 3) nonexistent or vanity DEI measurement. They also identify three things that should be maintained: 1) Responsiveness to broader society, 2) commitment to healthy organizations, and 3) the belief that we can be better.
BTC Opinion
On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2024, the Black Health Education Collaborative held an online session that explored 'Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters'.
By
Black Health Collaborative
Summary
The online session explores how anti-racist and inclusive practices improve the healthcare system and patient care for all. During this event, speakers discuss how health systems that support the provision of anti-racist care are more responsive to the realities of communities that experience injustice and oppression and are better positioned to provide high quality care to all.
BTC Opinion
ARE’s Moving on Up programme took to parliament in November 2023 to highlight the large employment gaps impacting young people from Black, Asian, Mixed-heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds.
By
Action for Race Equality
Summary
The government’s Annual Population Survey consistently reveals that young Black men are up to three times more likely to be unemployed than young white men aged 16-24 years. This disparity persists even when young Black men hold university degrees.
Action for Race Equality, a national anti-racism charity, has been tackling this injustice for over a decade through the Moving on Up (MoU) initiative. With support and significant backing from Trust for London and City Bridge Foundation, MoU has tested multiple interventions to close the unemployment gap for young Black men.
BTC Opinion
The latest content from the Runnymede Trust on all matters regarding race.
By
Runnymede Trust
Summary
Race Matters aims to bring new perspectives to matters of racial (in)justice, including topics which people may not associate with race. Runnymede encourage blogs that shed new light on an issue and are backed up by evidence. They value personal stories that illustrate impact and give perspective.
BTC Opinion
Two thirds of Black and minority ethnic people support stronger calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and more compassion for Palestinian people.
By
Runnymede Trust
Summary
Two thirds of Black and minority ethnic people support stronger calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and more compassion for Palestinian people. In a survey of over 2,000 Black and minority ethnic people in the UK Just 9% of Black and minority ethnic people oppose a ceasefire in Gaza, with 21% reporting that they ‘neither support nor oppose’, and 4% that they ‘don’t know’, with regards to those statements.
BTC Opinion
With the support of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Governance and Inclusive Leadership, Investing in Ethnicity designed the Maturity Matrix.
By
Investing in Ethnicity
Summary
Investing in Ethnicity was launched in 2016 as a response to the lack of focus on the ethnicity agenda in the workplace, as openly admitted by UK employers. The Matrix enters its seventh year as of 2024. It was redesigned in 2024 to ensure its relevancy. This edition aims to identify the challenges facing organisations in the changing landscapes of technology and sentiment around inclusion and related initiatives.
BTC Opinion
A simple and effective toolkit to help organisations to move the dial on their journey within the ethnicity and race agenda.
By
All Party Parliamentary Group
Summary
This Matrix should initially be seen as a tool to start dialogue within organisations. To continue progress, the tool should be used to create a business case in your organisation with key stakeholders and to introduce key topics to a wider audience.
BTC Opinion
After a decade of analysis, Green Park published the 2024 Business Leaders Index on diversity at senior levels in the FTSE 350 companies.
By
Green Park
Summary
The Green Park Business Leaders Index 2024 is a review of the composition of the UK’s most senior leadership, through the lens of gender and ethnocultural diversity. It features 10 years of analysis over 16,000 roles across FTSE 350, by sector and function, gender representation and ethnocultural analysis.
BTC Opinion
Report using national polling and focus groups about the public's opinion of EDI, the perceived role of institutions and more effective approaches.
By
More in Common
Summary
EDI action has helped to tackle serious issues and opened institutions up to new insights and experiences. Nonetheless, recent years have also witnessed the emergence of a potentially significant backlash, both inside and outside institutions themselves.
BTC Opinion
Most recent report from the Parker Review Committee offering the latest updates on the ethnic diversity of UK Boardrooms.
By
The Parker Review Committee
Summary
The 2024 Parker Review is a comprehensive expansion of scope from previous reports, going beyond board directorships to include key senior executive positions and the UK’s largest 50 private companies. The Review has invited businesses to set their own targets for the end of 2027 for the share of ethnic minority executives in their senior management teams.
BTC Opinion
The business case laid out in the Parker Review is clear; improving diversity enables a company to reflect their stakeholders, achieve better business outcomes and enable overall positive change. In times of economic uncertainty, when budgets are being cut and profit margins falling, equity must remain a business priority so as to ensure long term success.
Report providing a 'state of the nation' picture of public attitudes to race and diversity in Britain, featuring key facts about the Wind...
By
British Future
Summary
Report providing a 'state of the nation' picture of public attitudes to race and diversity in Britain, featuring key facts about the Windrush, a series of first-person Windrush stories and perspectives on what Windrush 75 means for the British public.
BTC Opinion
This short report is a valuable introductory tool for anyone wishing to learn more about the Windrush generation and their impact upon Britain. It also shares key Windrush networks that organisations may want to take note of for any outreach programmes.
Research project based in America, examining how health outcomes for Black people are impacted by racism. Use the drop down to learn about five key case studies across a lifetime, from obstetrics, childhood asthma, youth mental health, high blood pressure and COVID, and prevalence of Alzheimer's.
By
The Associated Press
Summary
From birth to death, Black Americans fare worse in measures of health compared to their white counterparts. The Associated Press explores how the legacy of racism in America has laid the foundation for the health inequities that Black people face.
BTC Opinion
Despite a rapidly changing business landscape, the business case for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) not only holds, but grows even stronger.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
Diversity Matters Even More is the fourth report in a McKinsey series investigating the business case for diversity, following Why Diversity Matters (2015), Delivering Through Diversity (2018), and Diversity Wins (2020). This year, the business case is the strongest it has been since tracking and, for the first time in some areas, equitable representation is in sight. Further, a striking new finding is that leadership diversity is also convincingly associated with holistic growth ambitions, greater social impact, and more satisfied workforces.
BTC Opinion
The Runnymede Trust 2023 agenda for policy making on racial justice in Britain.
By
Runnymede Trust
Summary
The Runnymede Trust make close to 50 targeted policy recommendations which challenge embedded racial inequalities in areas including education, health, employment, policing, climate, and civil rights.
BTC Opinion
This paper examines trends in hiring discrimination based on 90 field experiments of hiring over time in six Western countries.
By
PNAS
Summary
Trends in discrimination are critical to evaluate the extent to which Western societies are (or are not) achieving the fundamental goal of ensuring fair and equal treatment regardless of race and ethnicity. Only in France does this paper find evidence that discrimination declined. Further efforts are needed to reduce persistent racial and ethnic biases in Western labor markets.
BTC Opinion
A simple and effective toolkit to help organisations to move the dial on their journey within the ethnicity and race agenda.
By
All Party Parliamentary Group
Summary
This Matrix should initially be seen as a tool to start dialogue within organisations. To continue progress, the tool should be used to create a business case in your organisation with key stakeholders and to introduce key topics to a wider audience.
BTC Opinion
This report supports businesses with a suite of options to help identify, measure and analyse gaps and progress in their journey toward racial equity.
By
Centre for the New Economy and Society
Summary
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practice and programming have been increasingly mainstreamed into the corporate space for the last 60 years. In the last decade, the public and shareholders have increasingly called for greater transparency on actions and outcomes regarding DEI. However, the lack of coherent standards around data collection and reporting makes it challenging for businesses to assess gaps and track progress, especially on issues related to race and ethnicity. This report aims to provide context on current challenges and opportunities, and to identify pathways by which corporations can prioritize racial and ethnic equity through a whole-of-business approach. It originates from the World Economic Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society, which is focused on shaping prosperous, resilient and equitable economies and societies that create opportunity for all.
BTC Opinion
An insight-led report to share best practice and initiate culture change.
By
KPMG
Summary
This report interviews a section of the financial services industry to see how they recruit, develop, promote and retain employees with a Black background. The report covers research findings, the equality ecosystem, IDE ownership structures, career lifecycles, data considerations, regulation and reaction.
BTC Opinion
This report provides new insights on the representation and experience of the UK advertising industry workforce plus data to benchmark progress from.
By
ISBA
Summary
The second All In Census – UK advertising's only industry-wide survey created by the Advertising Association, the IPA, ISBA and Kantar, was launched in March 2023. Almost 19,000 advertising and marketing professionals participated in the All In Census, providing new insights on the representation and experience of the UK advertising industry workforce plus data to benchmark progress from.
BTC Opinion
Report looking into the driving factors for the lack of diversity in the leadership of high value commercial disputes...
By
Burford Capital
Summary
The businesses that hire law firms to represent them in significant litigation and arbitration matters have an important role to play in advancing diversity in the legal profession. To better understand how senior in-house lawyers are exercising their considerable influence in this area, Burford commissioned independent research conducted via one-on-one interviews with 66 GCs, heads of litigation and other senior lawyers responsible for litigation at companies in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia.
BTC Opinion
This report highlights key findings from one-one-interviews conducted by phone between March and May 2023 by Ari Kaplan Advisors. It is a useful document to use as a introduction to the topic and it can be used to source quotes and opinion pieces from senior in-house lawyers across the globe. Those seeking a more in-depth study should look to The Equity Project Study commissioned by Burford Capital in 2020.
Report showing business is taking real action towards race equity in senior leadership, especially of Change the Race Ratio signatories ...
By
Change the Race Ratio
Summary
Change the Race Ratio launched in October 2020 by Lord Karan Bilimoria and with the support of the Parker Review, it comprises of over 110 businesses across a range of sectors from construction and logistics to life sciences and professional services. It is now chaired by Sir Trevor Phillips. This report shows business are taking real action towards race equity in senior leadership, most especially signatories of Change the Race Ratio who are outpacing the targets set by the government backed Parker Review.
BTC Opinion
Readers can use this report as a companion piece to the Parker Review, to help give a broader picture of ethnic representation at the top of British business. One of the biggest challenges facing companies is maintaining their focus on supporting Black talent and creating a sustainable pipeline for progression. Looking at Black representation specifically, the report finds that the number of respondents to set targets for exco and exco minus one has doubled compared to the 12 months prior. Many organisations are seeing that target setting is one of the most reliable ways of maintaining their focus and drive in this area, because they ensure transparency and accountability across the business.
Report surveying 5,000 employees from marginalised racial and ethnic groups in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK and ...
By
Catalyst
Summary
Catalyst support global DEI transformation and improve gender equity by upskilling business leaders and DEI practitioners through intersectional research and innovative products, solutions, and access to communities of experts. In this report Catalyst surveyed over 5,000 employees from marginalised racial and ethnic groups in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They found that two-thirds of these employees reported experiencing racism during their career, and half have experienced racism in their current job.
BTC Opinion
Readers can use this report to study first hand accounts of experiences of racism at work and evaluate methods of building anti-racist workspaces. We point the readers to a comprehensive reference section at the end of the report, offering a substantive overview of studies on work place racism based especially in America.
Best practice guide for the law profession on collecting, analysing and reporting diversity data.
By
InterLaw Diversity Forum
Summary
This guide was developed as a resource for Law Firm Participants in the UK Model Diversity Survey led by the InterLaw Diversity Forum. However, it was published publicly to support EDI and culture across the legal profession.
BTC Opinion
This report considers both the method and content of diversity data collection, and through analysis offers a practical guide to the best use of data at every stage of an employee's career progression. This guide can be used by organisations who are looking to either establish or reset their roadmap for EDI. The report's clear question and answer style content can also be useful for anyone looking for an introduction to the rationale behind the EDI agenda.
Report by Extense consultancy, sponsored by five leading City law firms and endorsed by the Law Society, the Solicitors Regulation Autho...
By
Extense
Summary
Report by Extense consultancy, sponsored by five leading City law firms and endorsed by the Law Society, the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Black Solicitors Network, to discover the key contributing factors that have assisted ....
BTC Opinion
This is a well-researched and insightful report that should be used by anyone interested in understanding and changing their Black representation at senior levels. The report takes an in-depth analysis of the root causes that prevent Black talent reaching the most senior positions in British business and offers valuable and instructive recommendations for businesses to input.
'The Specialist Commercial Bar & Black Inclusion – First Steps' was commissioned by the three SBAs (COMBAR, ChBA and Tecbar). It is authored by the...
By
The Commercial Bar Association
Summary
'The Specialist Commercial Bar & Black Inclusion – First Steps', was commissioned by the three SBAs (COMBAR, ChBA and Tecbar). It is authored by the Black Inclusion Group (“BIG”) Committee, a sub-committee of five practicing barristers, to research outreach, recruitment, retention, progression and the culture of the Bar for Black barristers. The work follows, and adds to, the important work of the Bar Council’s Race Working Group in its report dated November 2021. The Specialist Commercial Bar is failing to attract, recruit and retain Black barristers, as demonstrated by the relatively low success rate of Black applicants for pupillage, the paucity of Black silks and the apparent lack of any full time Black High Court Judges. The outcomes for Black barristers are notably worse than for other ethnic minorities.
BTC Opinion
This is an important report for anyone wishing to understand how the justice system is approaching and tackling race equity across the Bar. It relates the systemic barriers to Black talent within the law and the range of approaches and programmes advised to bring about change.
Report exploring racial bias as well as antiracism amongst judicial office holders (‘judges), drawing on the findings of a new survey of 373...
By
Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity and The University of Manchester
Summary
Report exploring racial bias as well as antiracism amongst judicial office holders (judges), drawing on the findings of a new survey of 373 legal professionals as well as existing research. It evaluates the racial fairness of judges and racial guidance and diversity initiatives and situates itself within work by those who seek to racially reform and remake the British justice system.
BTC Opinion
Report examining the impact of systemic racism in the UK workplace, revealing the daily microaggressions and barriers to advancement that...
By
Coqual
Summary
Report examining the impact of systemic racism in the UK workplace, revealing the daily microaggressions and barriers to advancement that Black professionals face daily. Conversations about race and racism are not translating into action - to retain Black talent companies must take transparent action to address systemic racism, with accountability at all levels. This report offers a documentation of this problem and provides solutions to drive change.
BTC Opinion
Report examining the unique experiences of employees with marginalised backgrounds in five markets, providing data, insights, and a five-...
By
Coqual
Summary
Report examining the unique experiences of employees with marginalised backgrounds in five markets, providing data, insights, and a five-step process to help companies in any market tailor their strategies to create inclusive and equitable environments.
BTC Opinion
Hackney’s Diversity in Tech Commission was established to close the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills gap and understand the diverse community’s intersecting barriers to accessing good jobs in the digital tech economy.
By
Hackney Diversity in Tech Commission
Summary
Looking to the future, a key challenge is ensuring inclusive economic growth, increasing accessibility and opening up digital tech skills and employment opportunities to long-term residents of North London.
This report establishes a foundation for action, but more work is needed to create the conditions required to deliver on these recommendations.
BTC Opinion
This short report includes an update on pupillage and silk appointments and a summary of race-based activity across the Bar in the past year.
By
The Bar Council
Summary
This short report includes an update on pupillage and silk appointments by ethnicity for 2022 and a summary of race-based activity across the Bar in the past year.
BTC Opinion
The second report from the Black Business Network, on the challenges and barriers Black entrepreneurs face when trying to grow their business.
By
Black Business Network & Lloyds Bank
Summary
The second report from the Black Business Network, focusing on the impact of barriers Black entrepreneurs face, such as discrimination, racism and concern about equal access to opportunities. The report measures the positive impact of the previous report recommendations and actions implemented following last year’s findings.
BTC Opinion
Report on the experiences of women from different ethnic minority groups and religions at work, showing that at every stage of the career...
By
The Fawcett Society and The Runnymede Trust
Summary
Report on the experiences of women from different ethnic minority groups and religions at work, showing that at every stage of the career journey, from entering work to senior leadership, women of colour are locked out of reaching their career potential.
BTC Opinion
New research reveals the barriers that Black talent in the film and TV industry faces, the economic fallout, and solutions for creating a more inclusive, equitable workplace.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
Data on the levels of diversity and representation on-screen have been available for several years. But those numbers alone, as important as they are, tell only one part of the story. McKinsey & Co examined in detail the racial complexities and challenges of this dynamic workplace, analysing the entire film and TV ecosystem—including studios, networks, production and streaming companies, and distributors—through the lens of the individuals who must navigate it: on-screen talent, as well as off-screen writers, producers, directors, executives, agents, crew members, and beyond.
BTC Opinion
This report was commissioned to produce a set of recommendations for Bar Council and Bar-based stakeholders in order to tackle race inequality.
By
The Bar Council
Summary
This report was commissioned to produce a set of recommendations for Bar Council and Bar-based stakeholders to consider in order to tackle race inequality at the Bar. Data in the report categorically and definitively evidences, in quantitative and qualitative terms, that barristers from all ethnic minority backgrounds, and especially Black and Asian women, face systemic obstacles to building and progressing a sustainable and rewarding career at the Bar.
BTC Opinion
The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent urge the British government to categorically reject the findings of the Report.
By
United Nations Human Rights Council
Summary
The UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent categorically rejects and condemns the analysis and findings of the recently published report by the UK’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
BTC Opinion
The Commission's report into racial and ethnic disparities in the UK.
By
Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities
Summary
The Commission's report into racial and ethnic disparities in the UK.
BTC Opinion
This report explores how organisations combat racism, make a commitment to change and build more inclusive cultures.
By
City HR Association
Summary
This publication navigates the tools to help firms on their journey, the charters and pledges that exist and how firms of different size and maturity might engage with these options. It also considers the data required to understand successes and to measure whether City HR Association are meeting both the organisation and employee aspirations in this regard.
BTC Opinion
Insights and recommended actions for businesses.
By
City Mental Health Alliance
Summary
This research aims to help employers better understand two specific areas. Firstly, what are the challenges and barriers that are specifically hurting people who are Black and from a Minority Ethnic background. And, secondly, what action do businesses need to take.
BTC Opinion
ISBA and partners Flock have created a practical guide featuring advice for marketeers to becoming more diverse and inclusive from the inside out.
By
ISBA and Flock
Summary
ISBA and partners Flock have created a practical guide featuring advice for marketeers to becoming more diverse and inclusive from the inside out. The guide includes three key steps to elicit change.
BTC Opinion
The State of the Industry report assesses the progress of DEI initiatives across the global advertising industry between 2020-2021.
By
Unstereotype Alliance
Summary
The report finds that pre-existing inequalities in the industry have been exacerbated amid the COVID-19 pandemic and, while global calls for social justice have led agencies and brands to scrutinise the levels of diversity in their workplaces and content, representation across the industry remains disproportionately low.
BTC Opinion
This report includes new insight, alongside guiding principles to develop more inclusive communications, confidently championing modern Britain.
By
Lloyds Banking Group
Summary
Championing Modern Britain (2021) is a practical guide marketing professionals can follow to create stronger and more inclusive communications.
BTC Opinion
Research on the progression of Black colleagues into leadership positions across the UK finance sector. Includes interviews with more tha...
By
New Financial
Summary
Research on the progression of Black colleagues into leadership positions across the UK finance sector. Includes interviews with more than 30 of the most senior cohort of Black professionals across the industry.
BTC Opinion
New Financial is a think tank and forum that believes Europe needs bigger and better capital markets to help drive its recovery and growth. Their report offers an insightful commentary on discourse around Black inclusion in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd. Readers can use this report as a benchmark to compare recent changes to public debate around inclusion and to reflect on the progress made on focus areas such as progression and retention of Black talent.
Report analysing the driving factors behind racial inequity in UK workplaces, and the barriers and challenges to overcoming it.
By
Henley Business School
Summary
Henley academics from a range of research specialisms including HR, leadership, ethics, and organisational behaviour, have analysed the findings of surveys from over 500 business leaders and 1,000 employees, as well as qualitative interviews with 22 business leaders and employees from a broad range of industries. Some of the key findings from the report include that factors such as perceived cultural differences (cited by 56% of employees and 52% of business leaders) and a lack of diversity in leadership (33% of employees) are driving racial inequity and systemic racism within UK businesses.
BTC Opinion
This short report offers comprehensive range of quantitative research, supported by some qualitative data, to understand the broader conversation around racism in the workplace. This work can be useful for anyone looking for an introduction to the topic and behaviour at work.
Report published four years after the The McGregor-Smith Review on race in the workplace, examining the progress being made across the e...
By
Business in the Community
Summary
Report published four years after the The McGregor-Smith Review on race in the workplace, examining the progress being made across the employer landscape against the recommendations outlined in the review.
BTC Opinion
The latest report shows not only that the business case remains robust but also that the relationship between diversity on executive teams and the likelihood of financial outperformance has strengthened over time.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
Diversity Wins is the third report in a McKinsey series investigating the business case for diversity, following Why Diversity Matters (2015) and Delivering Through Diversity (2018). These findings emerge from our largest data set so far, encompassing 15 countries and more than 1,000 large companies.
BTC Opinion
A study into inclusion and diversity in advertising.
By
Lloyds Banking Group
Summary
This report highlights a significant deficit in representation of ethnic minorities in UK advertising, and a shortfall in the accuracy of some portrayals.
BTC Opinion
Report seeking to understand the gender gap in law, with interviews of 77 general counsel and senior in-house lawyers at companies.
By
Burford Capital
Summary
The Equity Project incentivizes women lawyers to seek out opportunities to take risk and law firms to support those women using Burford’s capital. The 2020 Equity Project study seeks to understand how clients are leveraging their economic influence to close the gender gap in law. The report is based on one-on-one telephone interviews with over 75 general counsel and senior in-house lawyers at large companies (median revenue of $8b) in 12 countries. The interviews were conducted by independent analyst Ari Kaplan between March 23 and May 1, 2020.
BTC Opinion
This is an in-depth and insightful report that can be used by anyone interested in understanding the systemic barriers for women in law, particularly as this relates to achieving highest level seniority. It can also be used as a benchmark to compare the state of affairs for gender representation in 2020 to now. The report highlights that clients are more engaged than ever on the topic and that firms should use non-traditional methods to help address the gender gap.
Report analysing the obstacles that prevent many Black professionals from reaching the C-Suite, giving examples to top leaders on approaches...
By
Coqual
Summary
Report analysing the obstacles that prevent many Black professionals from reaching the C-Suite, giving examples to top leaders on approaches and best practices to recruit and promote Black professionals.
BTC Opinion
The IFS Deaton Review engages world-leading experts in sociology, demography, epidemiology, political science, philosophy and economics t...
By
The Institute for Fiscal Studies
Summary
The Nuffield Foundation is an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social wellbeing. It funds research that informs social policy, primarily in education, welfare and justice. The IFS Deaton Review engages world-leading experts in sociology, demography, epidemiology, political science, philosophy and economics to build a comprehensive understanding of inequalities in the twenty-first century. It aims to understand inequalities in living standards, health, political participation and opportunity between the rich and poor, examined through the lens of gender, ethnicity, geography and education.
BTC Opinion
The IFS Deaton Review is an in-depth and rigorous study on inequality in Britain. It is a valuable resource for anyone working on EDI and offers an instructive guide as to the complexity of 'intersectionality' as a concept, especially as it relates to government policy and social-historical trends. Readers should also take advantage of the references which provide a wider resource of research into policy, inequality and the economy.
This report provides a leading source of information on progress made in the UK’s top private sector firms to promote diversity in their senior ranks.
By
Green Park
Summary
This annual survey provides statistical evidence on the gender and ethnocultural diversity composition of organisations across different sectors and at key tiers of management. With the exception of media and construction & property, since 2018, every sector has seen reductions in gender or ethnic diversity at either Top 20 level (Board and Executive Committee) or Top 100 level (leadership pipeline). If firms continue at this rate of change, it could be decades before true diversity is seen at the top of leading UK businesses.
BTC Opinion
Report published one year after The McGregor-Smith Review on race in the workplace, looking at how UK employers are performing against t...
By
Business in the Community
Summary
Report published one year after The McGregor-Smith Review on race in the workplace, looking at how UK employers are performing against the recommendations outlined in the review.
BTC Opinion
Continued research reinforces the link between diversity and company financial performance—and suggests how organizations can craft better inclusion strategies for a competitive edge.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
The new analysis expands on the 2015 report, Why diversity matters, by drawing on an enlarged data set of more than 1,000 companies covering 12 countries, measuring not only profitability (in terms of earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT) but also longer-term value creation (or economic profit), exploring diversity at different levels of the organization, considering a broader understanding of diversity (beyond gender and ethnicity), and providing insight into best practices.
BTC Opinion
Africa's banking market is the second-fastest-growing and second-most profitable of any global region, and a hotbed of innovation.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
Africa’s banking markets are among the most exciting in the world. The continent’s overall banking market is the second-fastest-growing and second-most profitable of any global region, and a hotbed of innovation. The retail banking sector in particular is a locus of new business models, emerging in response to challenges including low levels of banking penetration, heavy use of cash, sparse credit bureau coverage, and limited branch and ATM networks.
BTC Opinion
This report provides insight into how advertisers could do more to authentically portray people from different ethnic groups.
By
Lloyds Banking Group
Summary
A follow-up report (2018), charting progress in the representation of ethnic minorities in UK advertising, but also highlighting persistent issues to address.
BTC Opinion
Independent review by Baroness McGregor-Smith considering the issues affecting black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the workpla...
By
Baroness McGregor-Smith
Summary
Independent review by Baroness McGregor-Smith considering the issues affecting black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the workplace.
BTC Opinion
This review begins by firmly asserting the moral and business case for supporting diverse pipelines for talent. It offers a roadmap for success and clearly defines what they refer to as a diverse and inclusive workspace. This is a useful tool for those seeking a first introduction into the sector, and can also be used as a reference point for the to reflect any change or advance in public discourse and debate around the topic.
This research explores the barriers to participation and success in thevocational and work-based learning stages of training for the Bar.
By
NatCen
Summary
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) identified a lack of diversity in the legal profession and discriminatory working culture and practices as key risks in its 2016 Risk Outlook. As part of their programme of reform on training for the Bar, the BSB commissioned Nat Cen Social Research to explore the barriers to participation and success in the vocational and work-based learning stages of training for the Bar, and identify changes that will encourage and support a more diverse and inclusive Bar.
BTC Opinion
Using interviews, a laboratory experiment, and a résumé audit study, this paper examines racial minorities’ attempts to avoid anticipated discrimination in labor markets by concealing or downplaying racial cues in job applications.
By
Administrative Science Quarterly
Summary
Results show that when targeting an employer that presents itself as valuing diversity, minority job applicants engage in relatively little résumé whitening and thus submit more racially transparent résumés.
Yet the study of how employers respond to whitened and unwhitened résumés shows that organizational diversity statements are not actually associated with reduced discrimination against unwhitened résumés. Taken together, these findings suggest a paradox: minorities may be particularly likely to experience disadvantage when they apply to ostensibly pro-diversity employers.
BTC Opinion
Report on how to improve the ethnic and cultural diversity of UK boards to better reflect their employee base and the communities they serve.
By
The Parker Review Committee
Summary
The Parker Review Committee was commissioned in 2015 to consult on the ethnic diversity of UK boards. It was chaired by Sir John Parker until March 2022 and is now chaired by David Tyler, and their first report was released in 2016. This report finds that the Boardrooms of Britain’s leading public companies do not reflect the ethnic diversity of either the UK or the stakeholders that they seek to engage and represent. A key insight shows that ethnic minority representation in the Boardrooms across the FTSE 100 is disproportionately low, especially when looking at the number of UK citizen directors of colour.
BTC Opinion
This report is useful for anyone wishing to gain a better understanding of the landscape of diversity and representation at the top of British business and to understand the business case for increasing the ethnic diversity of UK Boards. The findings of this report have been collated and summarised in the 2017 Parker Review and those interested can use the annual Parker Reviews to track the changing attitudes and discourse around equity, diversity and inclusion in the UK.
Research makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.
By
McKinsey & Company
Summary
Research finds that companies in the top quartile for gender or racial and ethnic diversity are more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians. Companies in the bottom quartile in these dimensions are statistically less likely to achieve above-average returns.
BTC Opinion
The State of Black Education in Britain report investigates the persistent challenges and systemic inequities facing Black pupils, parents, teachers and communities in the UK education system.
By
Black Equity Organisation
Summary
The State of Black Education in Britain report investigates the persistent challenges and systemic inequities facing Black pupils, parents, teachers and communities in the UK education system.
The key findings include: black students frequently find their voices are marginalised and cultural identities undervalued; there is a lack of representation across the teaching workforce and curriculum; racism in schools remains an issue, particularly in disciplinary actions and navigating Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Comprehensive reform necessary includes establishing equity councils and peer-led advocacy programmes for black pupils, as well as curriculum reform and cultural competency training.
BTC Opinion
Published in 2020, this accessible book provides commentary by some of the UK’s foremost scholars of race and ethnicity on data relating to a wide range of sectors of society.
By
Policy Press
Summary
Published in 2020, this accessible book provides commentary by some of the UK’s foremost scholars of race and ethnicity on data relating to a wide range of sectors of society, including employment, health, education, criminal justice, housing and representation in the arts and media.
BTC Opinion
This report shines a light on the experiences and challenges black women face in the workplace.
By
Runnymede Trust
Summary
Drawing on interviews with Black women in leadership positions across various sectors - including journalism, politics, academia, healthcare, charities and unions - this report shines a light on the experiences and challenges they face in the workplace. By journeying through their early-career, mid-career and senior-career trajectories, Runnymede unravel how Black women understand the intersecting features of their identity; how these factors influence their potential to access professional positions of seniority; and the way they are treated when holding these positions.
Recommendations for employers included: development of anti-racist action plans that include an ethnicity and gender pay gap report, records of complaints and outcomes, disciplinary action data, publishing ethnicity progression data, line management training, where there are only one or two black women within an organisation, investing in access to an external black woman of seniority to provide ongoing mentoring e.g. Women of Colour Global Network.
BTC Opinion
This research project aims to establish new, authoritative and policy-relevant evidence surrounding economic inequalities related to race and ethnicity.
By
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Summary
There have been significant improvements in the economic, and especially educational, success of some ethnic minorities in recent years. Substantial ethnic inequalities in multiple domains across the life course persist, and many continue across generations. The experience of minority groups has been quite different in terms of how far their economic outcomes have become similar to or different from the majority.
The ambition of this project is to establish new, authoritative and policy-relevant evidence and understanding in this contested area, by providing a detailed account of how ethnic economic inequalities emerge, evolve and are maintained across the life course at a level of detail and in ways not previously possible.
The working paper 'Health inequality and economic disparities by race, ethnicity, and gender' reveals staggering inequalities. At age 55, black men and women have the biological age of white men and women 13 and 20 years older, respectively. Health deficits are more likely for black and Hispanic individuals than white individuals. Larger health gaps occur for black men especially. The report reveals structural inequities related to race in the UK, and finds that health inequality also emerges as a powerful determinant of economic inequality.
BTC Opinion
This report highlights actions that employers and people professionals can take to encourage conversations about race in the workplace and create safe spaces in their organisations.
By
CIPD
Summary
Being able to talk about race at work is the foundation for action to address racial inequality. This report highlights actions that employers and people professionals can take to encourage these conversations and create safe spaces in their organisations.
Recommendations for employers and policy makers includes: establish employee network groups, where individuals can comfortably speak about the racial and ethnic heritage; support and develop allyship within all employees; build trust in senior management to feel comfortable speaking about race with HR, their senior peers, managers and other colleagues; increase communication about race and ethnicity, and communally agree on correct terminology for daily use.
BTC Opinion
Winmark’s consultation with C-Suite network members and the global business community (through surveys, discussions, meetings and events) has mapped their top priorities for 2024 and how they plan to overcome unprecedented challenges while pursuing growth.
By
Winmark Research
Summary
Winmark’s consultation with C-Suite network members and the global business community (through surveys, discussions, meetings and events) has mapped their top priorities for 2024 and how they plan to overcome unprecedented challenges while pursuing growth.
Results call for the need to embed agility deep in the heart of the strategy, leadership, culture and operations of organisations. Speed of response is a crucial competitive differentiator, strategic agility and innovation is of vital importance.
BTC Opinion
BEO's Black Britain's Mandate has centred black voices and black communities at the forefront of their policy recommendations for the new Government.
By
Black Equity Organisation
Summary
Black Equity Organisation (BEO) is the national civil rights organisation for black people in the UK. BEO exists to dismantle systemic racism experienced by black people. Structural racism is a key factor in racial inequality, and BEO was established to work with all black African, black Caribbean and black mixed heritage communities in the UK. The Black Britain's Mandate has centred black voices and black communities at the forefront of its policy recommendations for the new Government.
Their policy demands include to mandate ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting with comprehensive data monitoring; to ensure high-quality job and subsidised skills training for black workers are available; and the development of a national strategy to improve outcomes for black businesses.
BTC Opinion
Change the Race Ratio was founded in 2020 by a group of leading businesses to campaign for increased racial and ethnic diversity, inclusion and representation on boards and leadership teams of UK business.
By
Change the Race Ratio
Summary
Change the Race Ratio was founded in 2020 by a group of leading businesses to campaign for increased racial and ethnic diversity, inclusion and representation on boards and leadership teams of UK business.
Key 2024 survey findings found that more than 90% of signatories now have one or more board members from a racial or ethnic minority background; 85% of respondents have now established targets for greater representation at senior management level; 3 out of 4 signatories have been able to collect ethnicity data from more than 70% of their workforce, with 79% publishing their ethnicity pay gap; among respondents, 60% have currently developed a Race Action Plan; there are very similar levels of employee attrition between all colleagues (13%) and ethnic minorities (12%) in the last year.
BTC Opinion
This is the first 'annual insights' report by Anthropy, offering a comprehensive analysis of the current state of perspectives across various sectors.
By
Anthropy
Summary
Anthropy brings together responsible leaders and organisations to look at how to make Britain a better place. Working with a cross-sector network across business and non-profit, Anthropy facilitates changing practices, new partnerships, influencing policy and transforming personal behaviour. Since the beginning of 2021, over 500 organisations and around 2,000 leaders, have participated in Anthropy’s national agenda, attending two flagship national gatherings in 2022 and 2023. This is the first 'annual insights' report by Anthropy, offering a comprehensive analysis of the current state of perspectives across various sectors.
The report finds that Anthropists consider the following to be the most important issues facing the UK 32% pollution/environment/ climate change,19% poverty/inequality 15% lack of faith in politics/ government. Weaving together data-driven research with the vibrant dialogues witnessed at the national gathering, this report reveals invaluable insights into emerging patterns, challenges, and opportunities that steer Britain's path forward.
BTC Opinion
Overall, the Bar is more ethnically diverse. Despite this, the progress for black barristers in the last three years has been limited, with respect to the success rates of applicants in pupillage, silk and judicial appointments.
By
The Bar Council
Summary
Overall, the Bar is more ethnically diverse (16.9% of barristers have a minority ethnic background, increasing by about 0.5pp per annum).
Despite this, the progress for black barristers in the last three years has been limited, with respect to the success rates of applicants in pupillage, silk and judicial appointments. Progress has been made, but there remains racism at the Bar.
BTC Opinion
This report includes insights on topics ranging from the importance of meaningful DEI action, expectations for climate leadership, shifting levels of trust in business and governments, AI optimism and concerns, and more.
By
Purpose Pulse
Summary
This report includes insights on topics ranging from the importance of meaningful DEI action, expectations for climate leadership, shifting levels of trust in business and governments, AI optimism and concerns, and more.
The report reveals that 53% of Gen-Z and Millennial generations believe businesses must do more to address social issues, a marked increase from 39% in 2021. Organisations that embrace a clear social purpose beyond profit are best positioned to thrive in these turbulent times.
BTC Opinion
A report investigating the factors influencing Black students’ experiences in securing fully funded postgraduate research (PhD) places.
By
Leading Routes
Summary
In February 2019, Leading Routes hosted a closed round table discussion with key stakeholders to explore the factors influencing Black students’ experiences in securing fully funded postgraduate research (PhD) places.
Recommendations for change and research include: improve national data collection processes and address data collection gaps in funded post-graduate research roles; adopt a more open approach to defining academic excellence; ensure interview panels are diverse.
BTC Opinion
This research explores racism and misogyny (collectively termed as misogynoir), in the public institutions of policing, education and mental health services.
By
Black Equity Organisation
Summary
This research explores racism and misogyny (collectively termed as misogynoir), in the public institutions of policing, education and mental health services.
In summary, too often Black women are treated excessively harshly, not listened to, assumed to possess a higher threshold of resilience and their stories are either missing or downplayed in data, research and/or institutional reviews.
BTC Opinion
"Black. British. In Business & Proud” is the only study in the UK that considers the complete entrepreneurial life cycle for Black business owners...
By
Black Business Network & Lloyds Bank
Summary
"Black. British. In Business & Proud” is the only study in the UK that considers the complete entrepreneurial life cycle for Black business owners in Britain. From ideation to a sustainable business model, the preceding analysis that informs this report is shaped by the voices of more than 800 Black people in Britain; consisting of students, employees, business owners and established entrepreneurs from social enterprise, B2B and B2C industries.
BTC Opinion