ENAR Shadow Report: Racism & Discrimination in Employment in Europe 2013-2017

This report by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) examines racial inequality in the EU labour market with a country-by-country overview. The report explores racism and discrimination at the individual level, including specific cases of harassment or unequal treatment, as well as at the structural level, by examining trends of racial inequality in the labour market as a whole.

The report also focuses on four major topics—access to employment and the labour market, racial discrimination, institutional discrimination and women of colour. Key findings include:

1. Access to employment and the labour market: According to the report, ethnic minorities have fewer chances of getting through recruitment processes. The report looks at specific cases in Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and Finland. Moreover, migrants and ethnic minorities tend to have jobs further down the hierarchy and lower wages, and they have a much higher unemployment rate and are overrepresented in certain job positions or sectors, which may be a result of structural discriminatory inequalities. The report also highlights that the financial crisis of 2008 continues to have particularly harsh consequences for ethnic minorities.
2. Racial discrimination: The authors conclude that racial prejudice and discrimination in the workplace has led to difficult and violent experiences for migrants and ethnic minorities, and provide examples from Estonia, Hungary, Spain and Ireland.
3. Institutional discrimination: The report finds that legislative frameworks have discriminatory effects on newcomers. Moreover, institutions and law-making are not fully effective, as there is a lack of reporting, awareness and trust in the available institutions.
4. Women of colour: Women of colour in Europe face multiple obstacles in the labour market as a result of the intersection of race, gender and class. They are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and sexual harassment, experience high rates of over-qualification, as well as segregation in specific labour market sectors, in particular domestic work.

This report on Racism & Discrimination in Employment in Europe 2013-2017 is an update of the ENAR Shadow Report for 2012-2013 on racism and discrimination in employment in Europe, published in 2014.