Charities to look at EDI as reports indicate minority representation in the sector is falling

Figures recently published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) show that the proportion of workers in the charity sector who are from ethnic minority backgrounds has decreased, while representation in the wider UK economy has risen.

The proportion of workers in the charity sector from an ethnic minority background decreased from 10.2% (94,000) to 9.5% (88,000) from 2020 to 2021, while representation in the wider economy increased from 12.7% to 13.1% year-on-year. In contrast, charities have consistently had a greater proportion of employees that are disabled than employers across the wider UK economy. Since 2011, the proportion of charity sector workers that are disabled has increased from 14.1% to 20.6%, while representation in the wider sector has risen from 11.4% to 15.4%, with the rise of remote working as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic being cited as a potential reason for this nation-wide and sector increase.

As well as the DCMS statistics, The Living Wage Foundation has reported on low-paid workers in the third sector. The report notes that 14.1% of jobs in the third sector are paid less than the real Living Wage and that employees in these roles, which are often fundraising- or events-based, were disproportionately affected by the pandemic; almost half of low-paid third sector workers were furloughed during the pandemic compared to a fifth of third sector workers with better pay.

Diversity – and not just with regards to ethnicity, disability and level of pay as noted above – plays a huge role in the success of any organisation, and differences between the charity/third sectors and the wider UK economy is certainly something for employers and organisations to consider.

Find out more

If there are any topics raised in this Knowledge Post that you would like to talk to us more about, please do get in touch.