New research by Oxford University suggests a disturbing trend of discrimination by employers
British people from Bangladeshi or Pakistani backgrounds are around three times as likely to be in poverty as their white British counterparts, according to new research. A briefing by the Centre for Social Investigation (CSI) at Nuffield College, Oxford finds that people from these particular backgrounds are also more likely to have a life-limiting illness or to live in overcrowded conditions.
The new research contributes to a growing picture of disillusionment for Britons of South Asian origin – last year the New Policy Institute found that 44 per cent of Bangladeshi and Pakistani workers living in London were being paid below the living wage.
According to the CSI, there has been great generational improvement in terms of education, and difficulties with the English language have ‘almost completely disappeared’ among second-generation migrants from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black African and Black Caribbean backgrounds.
However this attainment has not been matched by employment prospects, and ‘continued discrimination in the labour market…cannot be ruled out as a significant part of the explanation for their continuing disadvantage’.
People from Indian backgrounds, in contrast, have ‘largely closed the gap’.
Rates of poverty are 57 per cent for people of Pakistani and 46 per cent for people of Bangladeshi background – compared with 16 per cent for white British people. Data provided by the CSI shows that monthly personal earnings by this group average around 68 per cent of white earnings.
The briefing shows that Bangladeshi-origin Britons have the lowest number of rooms per person and the highest percentage of life limiting illness, both indicators of poverty.
The findings should be of extreme concern to the government, at a time when community cohesion has a direct impact on national security. Iqbal Wahhab OBE, chair of the CSI’s Advisory Board, says that the research ‘highlights a terrible social indictment’ and that Muslim communities alienated by economic deprivation are much more at risk of turning to crime – be that gang violence, theft, or, in a small number of cases, radicalisation.
Ruby Stockham is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow her on Twitter
39 Responses to “British people with Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds are three times as likely to be in poverty”
damon
I’m not saying my views are the only civilised ones Leon, I don’t care that people disagree with me. What you do is bring down any debate though.
I’ve just watched half a hour of that silly programme ”The Big Questions” on BBC 1, where they were talking about the Trevor Phillips programme about race.
People had different points of view and the guy holding the floor had to chair the discussion and try to get people to let each other speak and wait to be asked to speak themselves. When everyone started shouting over each other the thing would break down, and only when he got some order would it be able for the discussion to progress.
You’re a shouter Leon. That’s why you’re a tit, not because you have any particular opinion or other. You shout everyone you disagree with down, and ruin another ”forum space” by doing that. Places like this which are public forums, can not stand up to trolling behaviour by selfish idiots who think that their ”right to be right” outweighs everything else.
And when someone else has a different idea, it means that there is no possibility of free speech.
Well done Leon for being a wrecker of free speech and an enabler of UKIP ….. because they have grown stronger because of pillocks like you.
Guest
Ah right, those who disagree with are not people and don’t have a view, you have shown very strongly that you care deeply, as you’ve repeatedly claimed for instance, falsely, that I’ve called you a Nazi.
You’re trying to ensure that the only people allowed are those who agree with you. You’ve repeatedly called for censorship, at any opposition. You say that debate “ruins” things, as you work furiously against free speech.
Then you make excuses for your UKIP views, blaming anything other than your choices, your pro-censorship hard right views. You’ll never take responsibility for your own choices and beliefs, you’ll always blame the Other and Jews.
Guest
The British poor are 100% relevant. Your right’s cuts have made many British people’s diets unhealthy. I dón’t care about your excuses, that’s what’s relevant to *Britain*. You don’t want to discuss that though, because you’re 100% fine with it!
As you once more demand every family has two working adults. As you make up myths about jobs, which are few and poorly paid. As you whine the the Other is taking jobs at the same time!
And yes, you deliver your speeches about your ideology to rich right wing people in rich areas. And? Good fees, no doubt, for a politician – which you clearly are.
And you once more highlight you abuse rights you’d deny others. You “only” have hundreds of millions, right, as you talk about your week on the bottom. Poor people can’t afford to jet across the globe like you, it’s a dead giveaway! (And they can’t afford to work half the year, either)
damon
Are you skipping your medication?
Guest
I’m not on your medication. Stop trying to give it to other people.
You can’t contradict anything I said, of course.