On 3 December 2008 the Commission announced that it would be launching a Formal Inquiry* into Race Discrimination in the Construction Industry in Great Britain.
There is a continuing need for the industry to ensure it is attracting the best candidates from diverse backgrounds. In the current economic climate, ConstructionSkills - the organisation responsible for tackling the skills and productivity needs of the industry - has identified that there will be a demand for skilled workers to join the construction industry at an average rate of 37,000 per year between 2009 and 2013.
Despite the substantial efforts made by ConstructionSkills and industry partners, there are still significantly fewer ethnic minority workers in the construction industry compared to the workforce as a whole. Our Inquiry aims to learn the reasons for this and find ways of tackling the issue.
The Inquiry will:
The inquiry will result in practical recommendations to encourage employers to seek out and retain the best talent and treat staff fairly.
Please note that when we talk about ‘workers in the construction industry’, we mean anyone working in the industry, including trades, crafts and professions, and those in technical and administrative roles. ‘Workers’ are employees, self-employees and sub-contractors.
The first phase of the inquiry involved the following:
We commissioned a literature review of existing research into the underrepresentation of non-white ethnic monitories in the industry, and the barriers to their recruitment and retention.You can download a copy of the review here.
From 20 February to 24 March 2009 we sought the views and experiences of organisations and members of the public involved in the industry. View the call for evidence page.
Where appropriate, we engaged in interviews with those responding to the call for evidence and with key organisations across the industry.
Following Phase 1 of the Inquiry’s evidence gathering, we have produced an interim report. It explains the work done so far, summarises the emerging findings and sets out what we intend to do in Phase 2 of the Inquiry between April and July 2009.
Our evidence gathering aims to answer the central question : why is there an under-representation of non-white ethnic minority workers in the construction industry?
Our second phase of evidence gathering will test the validity of the following findings which emerged from Phase 1:
We hope this report will prompt those involved in or associated with the construction industry, who have not already done so, to contribute their views and experiences to the Inquiry.
We are keen to ensure that we hear views from as broad a range of witnesses as possible.
We want to know whether you think the emerging findings of the Inquiry are consistent with your experience of the construction industry.
Do you agree with our emerging findings or do you think that we are missing important factors contributing to the current under-representation of non-white ethnic minority workers in the construction industry?
The bulk of the responses to our Call for Evidence were from those either working in or training for the industry and those providing training. We have yet to receive any responses from people who used to work in the industry or decided not to pursue a career in the industry. We are particularly interested in hearing from these groups.
While the Phase 1 Call for Evidence has closed, we would welcome hearing from anybody who still wishes to submit a Call for Evidence. The Call for Evidence questionnaires (which are tailored to different witnesses) are available at the Call for Evidence page.
Alternatively, if you would prefer to give your evidence face-to-face or over the telephone then please contact us at: raceandconstruction@equalityhumanrights.com or on 0161 829 8413.