The 2016 employment rate for ethnic minorities aged 16-64 has increased following a 10-year low the previous year, according to research we carried out into the annual population survey carried out by the Office of National Statistics.
The survey shows that there has been a 14.7% increase in the employment rate in Liverpool, from 33.2% between July 2014 and June 2015 to 47.9% between July 2015 and June 2016. This reflects the 11% rise in the number of people born overseas in the last decade living in Liverpool.
When the surrounding areas of Liverpool are taken into account, a similar increase was noted, with the employment rate increasing to 54.5% between July 2015 and June 2016 from 43% between July 2014 and June 2015.
This significant increase in the employment rate, displayed over the past 12 months, is a remarkable achievement for the city of Liverpool and its surrounding areas. It shows that workplaces are becoming more diverse and are handling the influx of people moving to the city from overseas. However, there is still a lot of work required by businesses in Liverpool to reach the diversity seen in companies across the rest of the UK.
Liverpool has a significantly lower employment rate for ethnic minorities aged 16-64 when compared to the other major cities in the UK, excluding London. Birmingham has the second lowest with 50.6% (a 2.7% difference to Liverpool) and Leeds is highest with 61.6% (a 13.7% difference to Liverpool). Also, when compared to the regional and national averages, Liverpool continues to flounder as the north-west employment rate is 58.5% and the UK average is 63.7%.
Since the referendum vote on 23rd June 2016, we have been advising businesses, institutions and individuals about the implications that changes to immigration law will have on them and their staff. We have conducted a series of well-received seminars for Liverpool University, providing guidance to a large number of EU citizens employed there. This has influenced our decision to open an office in the city as we can see there is a need for high quality, specialist immigration advice from a firm that does nothing else.
The new office can be found at Horton House, Exchange Flags, Liverpool L2 3PF. If you are a business that requires help on hiring staff from outside the UK or are a non-UK resident looking for advice about your options, contact Latitude Law on 0151 305 9600.