Race employment gap gets smaller

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The employment gap between white and ethnic minority workers is narrowing, according to a TUC report.

It says the difference between the employment rates of the two groups has closed by 2.2% over the past decade.

But the report, to be unveiled at the TUC's black workers' conference in Eastbourne, says there is still a big difference in poverty rates.

Nearly half of black and ethnic minority children live in poverty - nearly twice as many as white children.

Tackling the deep-rooted problem of poor part-time pay must be at the heart of the government's anti-poverty strategy Brendan Barber

About three-quarters of white people are in work - compared with 60% for black and ethnic minorities (BME).

The fastest area of growth for black and ethnic minorities is part-time work, and the TUC is calling for employers to do more to encourage black and ethnic minority workers to get senior jobs.

General secretary Brendan Barber said: "As more BME men move into part-time work and receive the same low pay as women, the stark reality of in-work poverty is growing.

"Tackling the deep-rooted problem of poor part-time pay must be at the heart of the government's anti-poverty strategy."

Asylum seekers

The TUC has also stepped up its campaign to press the government to let asylum seekers who have been in the country for six months, or who are unable to return home, to work.

In a joint report with the Refugee Council, the TUC said asylum seekers, some of whom have waited years for a decision on their claim, are being forced to live on a benefits system that leaves them 30% below the poverty line.

Donna Covey, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: "Asylum seekers are desperate to work and give something back to the country that has taken them in."