Ethnicity at work: the case of British minority workers in the long-term care sector

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore the effect of ethnicity and separate this from the other dynamics associated with migration among members of the long-term care workforce in England focusing on the nature and structure of their jobs. The analysis examines interactions between ethnicity, gender, and age, and their relations with “meso” factors related to job and organizational characteristics and “macro” level factors related to local area characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses new national workforce data, the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC), n=357,869. The paper employs descriptive statistical analysis and a set of logistic regression models. Findings – The results indicate that labour participation of British black and minority ethnic (BME) groups in long-term care work is much lower than previously believed. There are variations in nature of work and possibly job security by ethnicity. Research limitations/implications – While the national sample is large, the data were not purposively collected to examine differentials in reasons to work in the care sector by different ethnicity. Practical implications – The analysis highlights the potential to actively promote social care work among British BME groups to meet workforce shortages, especially at a time where immigration policies are restricting the recruitment of non-European Economic Area nationals. Originality/value – The analysis provides a unique insight into the participation of British BME workers in the long-term care sector, separate from that of migrant workers.