Black Job – White Job – Brown Job

BAME Over Representation

White Over Representation

White British people are under represented in many high profile and well paid sectors Premier League football, Athletics, medicine and healthcare, tech and IT, retail and hospitality, financial services, transport and on our TV screens

So there we have it, TV stars, athletes and football players..So what about those industries where BAME people are under-represented?

In occupations traditionally regarded as dangerous or hazardous in the UK, White British workers are generally over represented.

Medical and Healthcare Professions:

Doctors: Particularly in specializations such as general practice, surgery, and anesthesiology, ethnic minorities, particularly those of South Asian and African descent, are over-represented compared to their share of the general population.

Pharmacists: Many pharmacists in the UK are of South Asian descent.

Nurses: Black and Asian workers, particularly women, are over-represented in these roles.

It will be noted that these are not underpaid professions, and governments have made no efforts to change this state of affairs.

Tech and IT Industries

South Asian and East Asian workers are prominent in IT and tech-related professions. These groups are often over-represented in programming, software engineering, and data analysis roles.

Again these are not poorly paid professions

Retail and Hospitality

Small business ownership in hospitality: Ethnic minorities, particularly South Asians (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) and East Asians, dominate in operating corner shops, restaurants (particularly curry houses), and takeaway establishments.

Taxi and Private Hire Drivers

Pakistani and Bangladeshi men are over-represented in the taxi and private hire industry. This has been a well-documented trend in urban areas like London, Birmingham, and Manchester. Average earnings circa £34k – Taxi driver salary in England

Education Sector

Ethnic minority groups, particularly women of Black Caribbean and African descent, are over-represented in teaching assistant roles and secondary school teaching in some urban areas.

Financial Services

South Asians are well-represented in finance, accounting, and banking roles, particularly in London, where the financial sector has a global workforce.

Public Transport

Black men, particularly of Caribbean and African descent, are significantly represented among bus and train drivers, particularly in London.

Entertainment and Reality TV

Ethnic minorities are often over-represented in reality TV shows, such as Love Island, Strictly Come Dancing, and The X Factor. Casting often reflects a push for greater diversity, leading to a noticeable presence of Black, South Asian, and mixed-race contestants.

Similarly, music-based shows and competitions frequently showcase diverse talent, reflecting a trend toward multiculturalism.

News and Current Affairs

In national broadcasting, Black and Asian presenters, such as Clive Myrie (BBC), Mishal Husain (BBC Radio 4), and Ranvir Singh (ITV), have a strong presence. There has been significant effort to ensure diversity in these roles, particularly for flagship news programs.

Regional news broadcasting, however, tends to have a greater representation of White British presenters due to the demographic composition of local audiences.

Dramas and Soaps

Urban dramas and soaps: Programs like EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Hollyoaks feature diverse casts that are often more representative of urban centres rather than the UK as a whole. For instance:

EastEnders showcases families from Bangladeshi, Caribbean, and other ethnic backgrounds.Hollyoaks has a particularly strong record of casting Black and mixed-race actors

Period dramas: Traditionally dominated by White actors, recent productions like Bridgerton have deliberately included diverse casting to alter the historical reality.

Children’s Television

There is significant diversity among presenters on children’s programs, such as those on CBBC and CBeebies, as broadcasters aim to reflect the UK’s multicultural younger audience.

Advertisements and Commercials

Ethnic minorities are frequently over-represented in TV advertisements, reflecting corporate efforts to project inclusivity. This often leads to a perception that the racial makeup in ads is disproportionate compared to the broader UK population.

Conclusion: While White people, particularly White British individuals, remain the majority across much of British television, there are areas (e.g., urban dramas, panel shows, reality TV, and advertisements) where they are relatively under-represented compared to their proportion of the population. This reflects broader efforts to increase diversity and appeal to a multicultural audience.

Professional Football

In professional football and athletics in Britain, White people are often under-represented in specific roles or areas of participation relative to their share of the population. Here’s a breakdown:

Black players are significantly over-represented in professional football, particularly in the Premier League and other high-profile leagues. This is evident in clubs across England, where players of African or Caribbean heritage make up a large proportion of the teams (33%).

White players are still the majority overall but are under-represented when compared to their share of the UK population (about 81% as of the 2011 Census).

South Asians (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) are heavily under-represented, despite being a significant minority in the UK, due to various cultural and systemic barriers.

Athletics

Track and Field:

Black athletes dominate events such as sprints, middle-distance, and long-distance running.

White athletes are better represented in field events like discus, javelin, and shot put, though these events generally receive less media attention compared to track events.

Endurance Sports:

Athletes of African heritage (especially from East Africa) tend to excel in long-distance events, and British athletics reflects this trend.

White athletes are more visible in niche endurance sports such as rowing or cycling, which are less ethnically diverse overall.

RNLI

The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) emphasizes diversity and inclusion among its staff and volunteers but does not provide data on the ethnic representation of its workforce and volunteers. Despite these commitments, detailed statistics or public data about the ethnic composition of RNLI staff or volunteers have not been published in the sources reviewed. I wonder why.

Emergency Services (Firefighters, Police, and Paramedics)

Representation: Emergency services are still predominantly White British, particularly in rural and suburban areas. Urban centers have more diversity, with ethnic minorities better represented, especially in the police force and paramedics, due to recruitment drives for inclusivity.

Risk Factors: Firefighting involves direct exposure to flames, smoke inhalation, and structural collapse. Police and paramedics face physical violence and exposure to dangerous situations, particularly in high-crime areas.

Armed Forces

Representation: In spite of breaking the law by banning white people from becoming fighter pilots, the armed forces continue to be white dominated, and south Asian Muslims continue to be under represented, Hindus slightly less so, and Black people slightly less so too.

Risk Factors: Irregular hours, moving often, working away, no overtime, physical injury, occasional danger.

Construction

Representation: White British workers historically dominate the industry, particularly in supervisory, managerial, and highly skilled roles. White migrant workers, particularly from Eastern Europe (e.g., Polish, Romanian, and Lithuanian workers), are heavily over-represented in manual, lower-paid, and high-risk construction roles, such as scaffolding, roofing, and demolition.

Risk Factors: Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the UK, with risks including falls from heights, machinery accidents, and exposure to hazardous materials (e.g., asbestos).

Mining and Quarrying

Representation: Mining and quarrying have declined significantly in the UK, but where they still exist (e.g., aggregates, coal remnants, and stone mining), these sectors are overwhelmingly staffed by White British workers, particularly in regions like Wales, Yorkshire, and Scotland.

Risk Factors: Risks include cave-ins, machinery accidents, and exposure to dust and harmful chemicals (e.g., silica dust).

Commercial Fishing

Representation:: The fishing industry remains predominantly White British, especially among boat owners and skippers. However, migrant workers (e.g., Filipinos, Ghanaians) are increasingly employed as deckhands in hazardous roles.

In the UK fishing industry, White people, particularly those of White British descent, are generally well-represented and not under-represented. In fact, the fishing industry remains one of the few sectors where White British individuals dominate due to the nature of the work, its location, and historical ties to fishing as a traditional industry in Britain. It’s also a dangerous occupation compared to being a black doctor or football star.

Migrant workers have become essential in parts of the industry due to labour shortages and the physical demands of the job, which make it less attractive to local Black and Asian workers.

Risk Factors: Fishing is one of the deadliest jobs in the UK, with risks including drowning, hypothermia, and accidents with heavy machinery or fishing gear.

Agriculture

Representation: Dangerous agricultural work involving heavy machinery, chemicals, and livestock is still predominantly carried out by White British workers in rural areas. However, migrant workers (mainly from Eastern Europe) are common in seasonal, high-risk manual labor such as operating machinery or pesticide application.

Risk Factors: Risks include tractor and machinery accidents, exposure to harmful chemicals, and injury from livestock.

Manufacturing and Heavy Industry

Representation: Traditional heavy industry jobs, such as steel working, welding, and factory machine operation, are largely staffed by White British workers in historical industrial areas like the Midlands, Wales, and northern England. However, ethnic minorities and migrants (e.g., South Asians) are also well-represented in hazardous factory and production line roles.

Risk Factors: Risks include exposure to high temperatures, heavy machinery, and hazardous chemicals.

Offshore Oil and Gas

Representation: The offshore oil and gas industry is predominantly staffed by White British workers, particularly in technical and supervisory roles. Migrant workers are present but less common due to the high skill level required for many roles.

Risk Factors: Risks include explosions, chemical leaks, and accidents on oil rigs or during helicopter transport.

Sewage and Wastewater Management

Representation: White British workers dominate skilled roles, but manual, high-risk jobs (e.g., sewer cleaning and maintenance) are increasingly filled by migrant non-British workers.

Risk Factors: Hazards include exposure to toxic gases, drowning, and infections.

Transportation and Logistics

Representation: Dangerous roles, such as lorry driving or railway maintenance, are largely carried out by White British workers, though ethnic minorities (particularly Black and South Asian workers) are well-represented in urban areas.

Risk Factors: Risks include accidents during long hours on the road or working near high-speed railways.