An independent review was published in February 2017 by Baroness McGregor-Smith regarding the difficulties faced by black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in the workplace.

According to the review:

Over the past 40 years, the makeup of the labour market in the UK has changed dramatically. The proportion of the working age population that come from a BME background is increasing. In 2016, 14% of the working age population are from a BME background. This is increasing, with the proportion expected to rise to 21% by 2051. However, this is not reflected in the majority of workplaces, with many ethnic minorities concentrated in lower paying jobs. A 2015 study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation identified that a higher proportion of BME individuals tended to work in lower paying occupations such as catering, hairdressing or textiles. There are also significant differences in labour market outcomes by ethnicity. For instance, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that occupations requiring intermediate skills, such as nursing assistants, tended to attract more individuals from an African background, whereas those with a Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage were more likely to end up in customer service occupations and process, plant and machine occupations. Some of this may be related to geography as a number of ethnic groups tend to be concentrated in particular cities where there can be more opportunities in certain sectors, although there can be little doubt that insurmountable barriers do hinder certain groups in a number of sectors.

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