Non-white women 'less likely to get jobs'

Black and Asian women are more likely to be out of work and have more problems finding a suitable job than white women, research has found.

A study for the TUC revealed that the unemployment rate among black women was 5.4 per cent - almost twice that of white women. Black and Asian women also had to settle more often for work which they were over-qualified to do, said the report.

More than half of Pakistani women and black Caribbean women aged 16-34 said they often found it difficult getting a job. Half of Bangladeshi women said they often or sometimes struggled to find work, while only a third of white British women said this was sometimes a problem, the TUC said on the opening day of its annual Black Workers' Conference in Eastbourne.

The study also showed that Bangladeshi, Pakistani and black Caribbean women were more likely to be asked by an employer if they had plans to get married and have children. Black and Asian women were also more likely to be working in temporary employment.

The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "Although black and Asian women have come a long way at work, employer attitudes and prejudices are still holding them back.

"Faced with a double whammy of discrimination because of their gender and their colour, it's no small wonder that true equality at work is still some years away. Many black and Asian women are keen to get into work, but feel they lack the necessary skills."

The TUC called for more training opportunities for black and Asian women.