Ealing Council has published pioneering research exploring how ethnicity acts as a barrier to prosperity and equal opportunities, becoming the first west London borough to do so.

The council and its partners are taking proactive steps to address the findings and ensure all residents can access a decent living income. Nearly 1,400 residents from ethnic minority groups have already benefitted from targeted support from the council.

The report was produced in partnership with the University of West London, in response to the demands of the Ealing Race Equality Commission. It identifies the locations and sectors with wide variations in gross earnings between ethnic groups. It found that, according to the data currently available, residents from ethnic minorities are earning less than white workers in the borough.

The council is calling for more local employers to publish their ethnicity pay gap data, to help build a clearer picture of the overall position in the borough.

Why is this research important?

A pay gap is the difference between the average hourly pay of employees. For ethnicity pay calculations, this would involve employers calculating whether employees in a certain ethnic group earn less or more than employees of a different ethnicity per hour.

Understanding the local ethnicity pay gap is particularly important in the borough, which has a richly diverse workforce. With more than 160 languages spoken, the borough has the largest Polish, Afghan, and Serbian populations in the country, the second largest Japanese and Iranian populations, and the fourth highest Arab population.

Ethnicity pay reporting is currently voluntary for employers in the borough. The new Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will make this reporting compulsory for employers with at least 250 employees. Smaller businesses, which make up over 99% of the local economy, do not need to report their data.

That’s why Ealing Council has partnered with the University of West London (UWL) to better understand the ethnic pay gap in the borough and the actions needed to address it.

Key findings

Ethnic minorities are experiencing greater income, employment, and education deprivation. The research has revealed that in the London Borough of Ealing:

• 8 ethnic populations are associated with lower household incomes – Asian British Bangladeshi, Asian British Indian, Asian British Pakistani, Asian British Other, Black British African, Black British Caribbean, Black British Other, and Mixed White Black Caribbean
• income deprivation is greater when there are more Black British African or Asian British Indian people living in an area
• employment and education deprivation is greater when there are more Black British African people living in an area

Creating more equal opportunities

Councillor Kamaljit Nagpal, the council’s cabinet member for decent living incomes, said: “We are already taking positive steps to address the findings. Our jobs and skills strategy sets out how we will create more inclusive pathways for our residents to access good, well-paid jobs. Our work as the first London Living Wage Place in west London has seen nearly 1,000 local workers receive pay rises, benefitting workers from ethnic minorities who are overrepresented in these relatively low paid roles. And nearly 1,400 residents from ethnic minorities completed qualifications and training through our Learn Ealing programme over the past 2 academic years.

“However, there is much more that needs to be done to ensure pay is equitable for all ethnic groups. This research is intended to be a shared evidence base that can be used by other local employers to take action. Understanding and tackling the ethnicity pay gap is good for our residents and good for our businesses.”

Are you a local employer?

Publishing your ethnicity pay gap is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to equality and diversity. Ealing Council can help businesses of all sizes to address their ethnicity pay gap and publish their reports. Email invest@ealing.gov.uk for more information and help.

Find out more about how employers can calculate their ethnicity pay gap.