Black and South Asian workers are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as white workers in Britain

The figures show that the unemployment rate for black and South Asian workers increased from 10.2% in October-December 2007 to 13% in the same quarter in 2010 (a figure almost twice as high as the 7.1% unemployment rate for white individuals). The research reveals an even bleaker picture for young people from ethnic minority backgrounds, with the unemployment rate for 18-24 year-olds leaping from 20.1% in 2007 to 30.5% in 2010. In contrast, the unemployment rate for white youngsters stands at 16.4%.