EHRC to investigate discrimination in financial services and construction
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (ECHR) has announced formal inquiries into the financial services and construction sectors. The EHRC has evidence suggesting that a high proportion of women working in some areas of financial services are paid less than their male counterparts and suffer harassment at work. Evidence seen by the Commission also suggests that there are more barriers to employment for ethnic minority employees in the construction industry than other parts of the private sector.
The financial services industry has the largest pay gap between men and women in the private sector at 41.5%, with far fewer women in senior roles than in other sectors. The Inquiry will examine the underlying causes as well as reports of a high level of sexual harassment.
According to the ECHR, only two-and-a-half per cent of workers in the construction industry are from ethnic minorities, compared to eight per cent of the workforce as a whole. The Inquiry will focus on race discrimination but issues such as procurement practices and the treatment of migrant workers may form part of the inquiry recommendations. The scope of the Inquiry may also extend to cover other areas such as gender discrimination as further evidence emerges.
Given current economic conditions, the Britain-wide Inquiries will examine whether redundancies are disproportionately affecting women and ethnic minorities. They will also look at whether more diverse companies are more successful as they can deliver better services and are more likely to benefit from public sector contracts.
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