Discussion Paper
Employment Issues - minority ethnic people in rural areas
Barney Crockett and Philomena de Lima
1.
Introduction
The aims of this paper are to stimulate discussion and debate and most of all to explore
strategies for taking action. It does not claim to be comprehensive and may not necessarily
reflect evidence that has emerged or might be emerging from locally commissioned research.
One of the main reasons for focusing on employment was because members present at the
Race Equality in Rural Areas – Strategic Group meeting on 18 January felt that it was one of the
biggest challenges facing rural communities.
1.1
Rationale for focusing on employment
The focus on employment is probably a useful starting point because it is one of the critical
factors that defines the experiences of minority ethnic communities with regard to issues such
as socio-economic status and is also closely associated with experiences of poverty and
access to services ( see Netto et al . 2001). In addition, there are a number of other contextual
factors which have a particular resonance for rural areas and employment issues and should
be taken into consideration , for example :
 Recent evidence on the demographic trends which Scotland faces, which is more acute
in some rural areas and associated concerns about skills shortages/gaps.
 Emphasis on encouraging in-migration especially in rural areas as a way of developing
the sustainability of rural communities
 The scale, extent and impact on the labour market of migration from EU accession
eight countries .
 Scottish executive emphasis on increasing entrepreneurial activity
 The developing ‘employability’ framework
In addition, recent research suggests that rural areas which are more successful in attracting
and retaining populations not only perform better economically, but also have relatively high
quality of life indicators, including access to good employment opportunities (Bryden et al 2001;
2004), which is an important consideration in the light of concerns about population trends in
Scotland. Against this background , rural Scotland faces significant challenges in maintaining
and extending employment opportunities , which will provide the key to confronting the
economic and demographic challenges looming across Scotland.
2.
Background
2.1
Settlement patterns and demography
Since devolution there has been an effort to develop a more consistent urban/rural classification
framework, hence providing a basis for understanding settlement patterns (see Scottish
Executive 2004b, pp 24). The 2001 census recorded a presence of minority ethnic households
in every local authority and health board area in Scotland (Scottish Executive, 2004b, pp 25-26).
Whilst minority ethnic households in rural areas are scattered, evidence from the Highlands and
Islands suggests that on the whole there is a tendency to settle in and around the urban or
urban-accessible areas. However, It is widely acknowledged that the census data is limited for a
number of reasons, including its lack of currency. For example, an issue that appears to be
having a disproportionate impact on rural areas is the sharp increase in migrant workers
especially from EU accession eight countries (Aitken 2005; de Lima et al . 2005a). Although the
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focus of this working group is on minority ethnic groups, the impact of migrant workers on the
local labour market and on other groups seeking employment in rural contexts which are often
characterised by limited employment opportunities cannot be ignored.
Apart from slightly different patterns of ethnicity across rural communities, minority ethnic
groups living in rural areas tend to share similarities with rest of the minority ethnic population
in Scotland in relation to variables such as age, diversity in ethnic identities, patterns and rate
of economic activity and qualifications ( de Lima , forthcoming 2006). They also share similar
experiences to the rural population in general. The loss of the young, sucked often by higher
education but also by attractive lifestyle options to Scotland’s cities or perhaps places even
more cosmopolitan, as illustrated by the following quote ( not untypical) by a young person from
a rural community :
“ I would definitely not choose to stay here...I have been here all my life and would
choose to go away as far as possible. It is very hard to keep your identity and your
culture. It is nearly impossible, if you want to be accepted you feel forced to be like the
others in the main culture. You feel so alone: that is one reason why I feel I would like to
go somewhere where there are more Asians.” (Young person , cited in de Lima et al
2005:95)
In addition, it is widely recognised that despite the existence of relatively low rates of
unemployment in some rural communities , in general employment opportunities ( in terms of
range and type )are limited and there is a tendency towards low pay and seasonal work.
2.2
Employment patterns and trends
There does not appear to be any readily available analysis of employment patterns and trends
in relation to rural minority ethnic groups at local authority levels or indeed using the rural/urban
classifications. Developing an understanding of the patterns and trends in employment
amongst minority ethnic groups would seem to be an important first step if appropriate
intervention strategies are to be developed.
Drawing on the 2001 Census, an analysis was undertaken for the Highlands and Islands
( excluding Argyll and including Moray ) on minority ethnic economic activity rates, employment
patterns and trends. Although, it is not possible to say how representative the data is of other
rural areas given the diversity of rural communities and local labour market structures, the
evidence broadly concurs with the findings at a Scottish level ( Scottish Executive 2004 ; Netto
et al. 2001) and can be summarised as follows :



The level of unemployment between the ‘White’ and minority ethnic population was the
same (4%); however, the ‘Other’ category experienced a significantly worse
unemployment rate (6%), whilst the Chinese community showed a lower rate (2%).
The minority ethnic population had a higher rate of self employment compared to the
‘White’ population and this was particularly the case with regard to the Pakistani/
Bangladeshi/Other South Asian, and Chinese communities. There were predominantly
operating in the hotel, catering, retail and wholesale sectors.
The Indian community, particularly, had a high rate of professionals, as well as the
‘Other’ category to some extent . Both these groups also had significantly higher than
average Group 4 (Degree /Professional) qualifications and involvement in the Health &
Social Work sectors and those of Indian background had a noticeable involvement in
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the real estate /rental sector. By contrast, the Chinese community had a lower than
average proportion of professional workers.
 Members of the minority ethnic population were nearly twice as likely to be ‘looking after
the home/family’.
 Considerably more of the minority ethnic population were students.
 Fewer members of the minority ethnic population (16%) categorised themselves as
being either ‘Retired, Permanently Sick or Disabled’, or some ‘other category’.
(de Lima et al. 2005: 55-62)
In addition , the study on ‘Minority Ethnic Enterprise in Scotland ( Deakins et al . 2005: 3)
reported that the Central Belt had a significant presence of minority ethnic enterprise and that
although minority ethnic businesses in the South of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands
were much smaller in number and dispersed they also had ‘some high rates of self
employment’.
With regard to migrant workers, evidence suggests that migrant workers from Eastern Europe
are mainly employed in semi-skilled and unskilled work in the agricultural, fish and food
processing , care and tourism sectors. which tend to be characterised by low pay and poor
conditions of work ( Aitken, 2005; de Lima et al. 2005)
3.
Key issues in relation to employment
There is little if any research which has sought to specifically focus on the experiences of rural
minority ethnic groups in relation to accessing employment and experiences whilst in
employment. Issues in relation to employment are summarised under a number of broad
themes/areas by way of attempting to identify what and where action requires to be taken.
3.1
Data
Lack of access to data generally but also more specifically on employment patterns and trends
amongst minority ethnic groups in relation to rural areas is a continuing challenge.
Understanding trends and patterns of activities are an essential step to developing appropriate
intervention strategies. Despite the widely acknowledged problems with the census data it is a
useful starting point for developing a baseline to be built upon and augmented by other data
sources, including data gathered by employers as part of meeting their statutory obligations
under the RRA. With regard to the latter it is difficult to assess how much of data gathering is
taking place amongst employers and the use of the data in taking action where required. In
addition, data sources from Job Centre Plus and the Department of Work and Pensions could
assist with estimating numbers of migrant workers in the absence of other robust data sources.
3.2
Access to employment
The evidence that exists tends to be from studies that have examined broader aspects of
rural life where employment issues have been raised as an aspect amongst others. Although
there are attempts by some services, e.g. Fire, the Armed Forces and the Procurator Fiscals to
target under-represented groups by providing short term placements and so on, it is difficult to
say how successful they are in attracting minority ethnic candidates .
Main barriers in accessing appropriate employment that have been highlighted include:
 Lack of access to appropriate social networks ( lack of ‘bridging capital’), perceived as
especially important in rural areas when trying to access work
 Lack of recognition of qualifications and experiences , leading to underemployment
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

Prevalence of racist attitudes in recruitment . the following quote echoes the feelings of
many others :
They would have stayed here. [My son] had applied for a job. They did not give him the
job because they said he was over-qualified. Sometimes it seems a bit racist. The
people in the community are very nice … I meet lots of them as they come into the shop.
I spend a lot of time talking to people. When [my son] applied for a job and did not get it,
it was disappointing. It is disappointing when you have kids who have studied and have
been part of this community and there is no support behind them. ( Participant , cited in
de Lima et al. 2005:102)
Lack of access to adequate ESOL/EFL provision to accelerate English language
fluency
In addition to education, participating in work training schemes including apprenticeships in
particular are important mechanisms for accessing a wider range of occupations than is
presently the case. It is difficult to assess the trends with regard to take up of such
opportunities, retention for those who do and outcomes in the absence of published data .
3.3
Experiences whilst in employment
Evidence here suggests a picture that is not dissimilar from urban areas( REAF, 2001) . Often
those in employment find they are overqualified for the work they are employed to do.
Complaints about discrimination are rarely reported and in many cases people are employed in
non-unionised work places. Where numbers are small or one may be the only minority ethnic
employee challenging racism can be a daunting task. For those in work, many feel the ‘glass
ceiling’ operates, making it difficult to progress within an organisation. Often racist behaviour
and comments in the workplace go unchallenged. Minority ethnic women face additional
disadvantages, such as the lack of appropriate and affordable childcare. Generally, minority
ethnic professionals working in rural areas are often isolated and lack support, making the task
of challenging racism in the workplace even more difficult. Furthermore many professionals
find themselves labelled the ‘expert’ on all matters to do with equality, and especially racial
equality in an organisation, irrespective of whether this is part of their job or not. Contact with a
number of professionals across rural areas, and especially those working on racial equality
issues, suggests that workers are often overwhelmed by the scale and extent of the tasks they
have to address (Dhalech, 1999; CRE, 2002 ).
3.4
Self employment and Business sector
The small, scattered and diverse ethnic minority communities in rural Scotland have played a
positive economic role, running small businesses particularly in catering but often spreading
from this sphere into retail and beyond- e.g. real estate, social care and personal care services.
As such the story has often and understandably been portrayed as one of successful
integration. This has formed the background to local policy-making which has had a “hands-off”
approach to race relations and failed to invest either attention or resources to examining issues
linked to racism. Evidence suggests that minority ethnic businesses as a group can be
especially vulnerable to racism (RAHMAS,2001) .
In addition the underlying reality is that while ethnic minority communities continue to hold a
high proportion of the entrepreneurial skills in rural Scotland, these entrepreneurs are in no way
protected from the economic forces impacting on all business in those areas. Amongst those
forces is the growing competition to small scale catering both from themed chain restaurants
and from supermarkets offering prepared carry-out meals. While this shift is particularly marked
in catering, there are parallel moves in other small-business fields. All of these moves are
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accompanied by a shift in economic activity towards larger centres. In critical conditions this
shift can be dramatic. For example, in the Western Isles it would seem that most of the famous
community of entrepreneurs of Pakistani origin have moved to Glasgow.
In general evidence also suggests that minority ethnic businesses have difficulties in accessing
finance through banks and fail to access business support services provided by the Enterprise
networks and others . It is also possible that investment decisions on business start –up and
support provided by Enterprise networks may be affecting minority ethnic businesses
adversely, especially as much of the business support schemes do not provide support to the
types of businesses that minority ethnic people are likely to be in – e.g. catering and retail.
3.5
Migrant workers
Government has attempted to deal with the clamorous demands of employers (both ethnic
minority and other) in unpopular industries such as food processing, catering and hospitality, to
ease labour supply problems by offering ready access to a supply of work permits. This initiative
has now been overtaken by what is for rural Scotland unprecedented movements of labour.
The bulk is from the new EU entrants from north eastern Europe. In some areas employers
have been only too willing to use workers from Eastern Europe to replace Kurdish workers, on
the implicit and sometimes explicit grounds that they are more likely to ‘fit’ into the communities.
Little is known about the impact of this trend on the Kurds themselves. In addition, it is likely that
recent years have seen a sizeable figure of unlawful or ‘undocumented’ workers enter the
labour market, and lastly, in some areas the informal dispersal of asylum seekers has formed
another pool of potential labour.
There is no hiding the positives that come with these shifts. Indeed, many of them have been
laid out in the national press. Nor is there any major public body in rural Scotland now unaware
of the scale of the challenges which these still burgeoning changes will bring. However, to the
extent that there is awareness, it is about meeting the needs of the new incomers. A number of
studies have identified widespread evidence of discrimination and harassment in the workplace
affecting pay, holidays, and working conditions. (Bell et. al. 2004). In addition, lack of recognition
of qualifications, lack of awareness of employment rights, poor language skills and the
unregulated role of recruitment agencies all serve to exacerbate the poor work conditions of
migrant workers (e.g. Aitken 2005; de Lima et al. 2005).
Less thought has been given to impacts of the new workforce on the pre-existing. In particular,
there is the prospect of the new workforce creating an unbridgeable gap between those groups
already facing significant barriers to entering the labour force and the prospect of a job. This
includes those from existing minority ethnic communities, particularly where numbers of people
have poor English skills.
In broader terms, there are prodigious challenges in managing community relations in areas
where whole communities may see themselves in economic decline, where such economic
opportunities as there are, may be disproportionately for newcomers, where traditions are being
overturned and established power structures challenged.
Lastly, for public bodies almost no thought has been given to the brutal fact that there may be
inescapable inequalities in the services which they give, dictated by a framework of immigration
law which will be increasingly differentiated. In these demanding circumstances what can be
expected of the Scottish Executive and public bodies in terms of employment issues in rural
Scotland? And, what role should the private sector play in this context?
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4.
Identifying Actions
4.1
Developing inclusiveness
To make sense of the changes affecting rural Scotland some very fundamental questions have
to continue to be asked. When the term ‘ethnic minority’ has been used to describe those
groups so described in the Census, is it splitting hairs to use the term ‘minority ethnic’ to cover
those groups as well as all new migrants? Do we need to look fundamentally at the concepts we
use?
4.2
Meeting the Needs of New Workers
This already has at least the attention of policy makers in rural Scotland. However, there may
still need to be a shift in thinking to put it in the context of survival for the area rather than
support for the (often very) needy. When any positive view of migration is taken at national level
the focus is on the need to attract the ‘talented’ or the ‘qualified’. For rural Scotland we need to
embrace the need for the least qualified as well as the most.
4.3
Remembering Long-Standing Communities
In the context of racism it would be disastrous if the real needs of new migrants meant that the
needs of long-settled ethnic minority communities were forgotten. In employment this requires in
the first instance a major commitment by public bodies to the rigorous enforcement of the Race
Relations Act. It may also require a flexible but driven approach to integration of those struggling
in the labour market - building on work done in New Futures projects as well as facilitating their
access to training and apprenticeship opportunities.
Specific strategies may also be needed to support entrepreneurs to develop or change
businesses facing impossible competition pressure. As highlighted in the study on minority
ethnic enterprise, the potential for minority ethnic businesses to develop niches , for example,
contribute to growing sectors such as tourism through the promotion of their ethnic cuisine and
culture as an asset has barely been explored ( Deakins et al., 2005). In addition, the Enterprise
networks (Scottish and Highlands and Islands Enterprise) do need to assess the impact of their
current policies on employment and training issues on minority ethnic groups and begin to treat
minority ethnic businesses as an asset in rural communities rather than as marginal to their
priorities as appears to be the case at present. .
4.4
Leaving Nobody Out
The impact of migration in rural Scotland is obviously great and is likely to grow. Resources
have to be developed to assist all of those at the sharp end to adapt. Public bodies in rural
Scotland will have to recognise that they will not be able to make everything all right. Difficulties
at the bottom of the labour market will continue. Immigration restrictions will grow including the
need to refuse some people in need of a service. In order to be of assistance public bodies will
have to develop a clear view of what they can do as well as engaging with the private sector
about their responsibilities as employers, this could be especially challenging in the context of
small businesses that often prevail in rural areas. Furthermore, how and in what ways can the
‘mainstream’ local voluntary sector play an active role?
4.5
Data gathering, monitoring and assessing impact
While recognising that gathering data particularly in rural contexts is challenging, there is scope
for developing and using current data sources (census) as a starting point as well as exploring
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other mechanisms without compromising confidentiality and anonymity. Tackling this issue is
vital not only to understand the diversities that exist but also in developing appropriate
interventions.
4.6
Urban / Rural
Based on the meagre evidence available it would appear that many of the employment issues
faced by rural minorities are not that dissimilar from those faced by urban dwellers. For
example, the long term outcomes and policy objectives proposed in the CRE discussion
document of July 2005 on ‘Ethnic Minorities and the Labour Market’ are also relevant to rural
areas; however, it is vital that rural voices are reflected in such discussions to ensure that any
decisions arrived at have a realistic chance of being implemented in rural areas.
The issue of size, diversity and dispersed settlement patterns combined with the lack of
appropriate infrastructures do undoubtedly pose specific challenges which require innovative
solutions. The lack of economies of scale is an issue that faces all rural communities in the
delivery services, for minorities this is exacerbated. However, in the context of exploring
relevant interventions it is vital that minority ethnic groups are perceived as having a variety of
assets – skills, knowledge and experience – which many cannot utilise effectively due to the
presence of various barriers that exist in rural communities. They like everyone else contribute
to society, through taxation, and should expect the same level of service as everyone else. The
emphasis has to be on removing these barriers which may operate at institutional or community
levels.
Do we need to look at putting more central resources into rural Scotland? Does this mean
shifting them from the Glasgow / Edinburgh nexus? The role of agencies such as SEERAD in
challenging the perceptions of a rural landscape populated only by ‘white’ people and taking
broader equality issues on board with a view to mainstreaming them in their thinking on rural
development is vital for rural sustainability in the longer term.
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