A study of 1,500 people from all major ethnic backgrounds, including white Britons, also found half were not interested in joining the armed forces, more than a third (38pc) were deliberately avoiding the police and 44pc were ignoring a career in politics due to perceived racism. Nearly half believed the police was a racist profession, rising to 72pc for black Caribbeans, the report by equality campaigner Race for Opportunity revealed. Perceptions of racism, a lack of clear role models and family disapproval were cited among the main reasons for drawing the line under certain career paths. Sandra Kerr, national campaign director, said: “It is shocking that not one of the careers in the survey was seen as completely devoid of racism and that blatant racism is still prevalent in the workplace.” More than a fifth of the people surveyed said they had been offended by a racial remark in their place of work. Chinese were the most egregious victims, with 35pc citing an example, followed by a quarter of Pakistanis. She said businesses failed to tackle race as seriously as gender, and called on organisations from the public and private sector to ramp up ‘positive action’ in recruitment - where businesses target people from underrepresented groups to apply for a role. “For business there is much to be done in the areas of recruitment and progression in particular. HR directors can be driving forward this change by reviewing all marketing material, committing to diverse shortlists for all vacancies and promoting ethnic minority role models within their organisation,” she said. “The challenge is to ensure that for ethnic minority candidates, the door to the city law firm is as open as the call centre, and that being a public leader is as normal as sitting behind a supermarket till,” she added. Race for Opportunity is part of membership group Business in the Community. It was set up in 1995 to improve employment prospects for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
The Telegraph
