Research and Statistics

Barriers to employment for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in Britain and constraints

Research Report No. 360

by Nii Djan Tackey, Jo Casebourne, Jane Aston, Helen Ritchie, Alice Sinclair, Claire Tyers, Jennifer Hurstfield, Rebecca Willison and Rosie Page

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis experience some of the lowest employment rates and greatest barriers to work of all ethnic groups. This report presents the full findings from the research on the barriers to employment for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis in Britain, carried out on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) by the Institute for Employment Studies. The research study comprised five discrete stages:

  • A wide ranging review of relevant literature and other information.
  • A series of interviews with a broad spectrum of experts in the field.
  • A full scale analysis of the labour markets of five selected locations in Britain: Bradford, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, and Tower Hamlets in London.
  • A survey of employers in the five selected locations.
  • A series of in-depth interviews with Pakistani and Bangladeshi jobseekers and non-jobseekers.

    This report covers the five stages described above. The findings are presented separately in parts. Part A covers the review of the literature; Part B provides analysis of the five labour markets; Part C, the findings from the interviews with experts; Part D covers the findings from the survey of employers; and Part E, the findings from the interviews with individual jobseekers and non-jobseekers.

    In addition to the analysis the implications for policy are outlined.

    September 2006

    ISBN 1 84712 042 3

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