UK Black
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Work, Wealth and Economic Contribution

Labour market participation, income, business ownership and economic evidence for Black communities.

Emp

9.7%Black unemployment rate, ONS LFS 2023

Spend

£10.9BIndicative consumer spending power

Pay

PendingPay gap source verification

Src

ONSPrimary labour-market source

Data caution: The screenshot’s economic contribution figure is not copied because it is not in the verified audit. The published consumer-spending figure is retained as an indicative Kantar 2022 value with uncertainty noted.

Labour Market Snapshot

Black unemployment rate 9.7%

White British unemployment rate 3.5%

Consumer spending power £10.9B

Pay-gap figure Pending

Employment trend placeholder

Additional source content: Work, Wealth and Economic Contribution. This section preserves 101 evidence notes, source references and content items from the supplied site build. Claims should be read with the named source and caveat where shown.

DescriptionData on employment, unemployment, pay, poverty, occupational segregation, and business ownership for Black British communities. Sourced from ONS, JRF, and the British Business Bank.

Economics & Employment

Employment & Unemployment Rates — Black vs White British (%)

Poverty Rates — Black vs White British (%)

Occupational Distribution — Black vs White British (% of workers in each role)

Economics & Employment — UK Black Demographics | BlackBritish.org.uk

Data Topic · Economics

Employment rates, pay, poverty, occupational segregation, and business ownership for Black British communities in England and Wales. Primary sources: ONS Labour Force Survey, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and the British Business Bank.

ONS Labour Force Survey 2023

Zero-hours contracts

8.4%

of Black workers are on zero-hours contracts — more than twice the white British rate of 3.9%. Source: ONS LFS 2023, Table EMP17.

Hiring discrimination

Matched-CV studies consistently show Black applicants are called back at lower rates than equally qualified white applicants — even after controlling for qualifications and geography.

JRF UK Poverty 2024 / DWP Households Below Average Income 2022/23

COVID-19 economic impact

−20%

fall in employment during the first COVID-19 lockdown (April–June 2020) — the steepest decline of any ethnic group. Furlough uptake was lower due to higher rates of zero-hours and casual contracts. Source: ONS LFS Q2 2020 / Resolution Foundation 2020.

ONS Labour Force Survey 2023, SOC 2020

The "concrete ceiling"

Black workers are more likely to be "stuck" in mid-level roles despite having equivalent or higher qualifications than white colleagues who are promoted above them. The Parker Review (2023) found 23 FTSE 100 companies still had no directors of colour as of 2022.

Home ownership gap

Only

20%

of Black households own their home, compared with 68% of white British households — the largest home ownership gap of any ethnic group. Property is the primary store of wealth for most UK households, and Black families are largely excluded from it.

Pension wealth gap

3×

the pension wealth of Black households. Median pension wealth for Black Caribbean households is ~£28,000 vs ~£85,000 for white British households. Source: ONS Wealth and Assets Survey 2022.

Consumer spending power

£10.9 billion

in annual spending power — a significant and growing market that remains underserved by mainstream brands. Source: Kantar Black British Consumer Report 2022.

Finance gap

£2.5 billion

for Black and minority ethnic businesses in the UK — the difference between the finance they need and what they receive. Source: BBB Diversity Finance Report 2023.

Primary data sources

Methodology page

. Each statistic requires a named source, specific table reference, and direct URL before publication.

roleManagement / Senior

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to/methodology

labelsee our methodology

urlhttps://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/labourmarketstatistics

nameJRF UK Poverty 2024 / DWP HBAI 2022/23

urlhttps://www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2024-the-essential-guide-to-understanding-poverty-in-the-uk

nameONS Labour Force Survey 2023 / Parker Review 2023

urlhttps://www.parkerreview.org.uk/

nameBritish Business Bank — Alone Together 2022 / ONS Wealth and Assets Survey 2022

urlhttps://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/research/alone-together-thematic-report-ethnic-minority-businesses-and-access-to-finance/

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Economics & Employment — UK Black Demographics

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Employment rates, pay gaps, poverty, occupational segregation, and business ownership data for Black British communities.

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Employment & Unemployment

Pay, Poverty & In-Work Hardship

Occupational Segregation

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Black workers are more likely to be

British Business Bank — Alone Together 2022

ONS Wealth and Assets Survey 2018–2020

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/personalandhouseholdfinances/incomeandwealth/bulletins/totalwealthingreatbritain/april2018tomarch2020

Parker Review 2023

Runnymede Trust — The Colour of Power 2023

https://www.runnymedetrust.org.uk/

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