A NEW study has revealed that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people were hit hard by the crisis in the hospitality compared to white people as a majority of them are employed in the sector.
The study by Resolution Foundation thinktank has said that one in 12 (8 per cent) workers from BAME backgrounds are employed in hospitality roles compared with one in 20 (5 per cent) white British workers.
Overall, 300,000 people from BAME backgrounds work in the sector.
Hospitality is one of the sectors hardest hit by the economic fallout of the pandemic as restaurants, bars and other venues have been shut for months during the lockdowns, reported The Guardian.
According to the study, hospitality was one of the lowest paying sectors in the economy, with a typical hourly pay of £8.72. About 23 per cent of hospitality workers were paid at or below the national living wage.
The research also said that BAME workers faced 'pay penalties' – pay gaps that account for workers’ age, qualifications, experience, and the kinds of jobs they do – relative to white British workers.
The report further said that BAME men were paid 65p an hour less than white British men on average, and BAME women were also underpaid.
The typical age of a Bangladeshi worker in hospitality was 42 – higher than the typical age for Bangladeshi workers across the whole economy (35), and higher than white British workers in hospitality (28).
Indian workers in hospitality were among the highest paid ethnic group per hour (£8.96) and among the most likely to be in high-paying occupations (28 per cent) such as hotel and restaurant managers. This corresponds with 41 per cent of Indian hospitality workers holding a degree, The Guardian report added.
One in four Bangladeshi hospitality workers had no qualifications and typically earned 12 per cent less than Indian hospitality workers, at £7.85 an hour.
“As workers from BAME backgrounds are disproportionately likely to work in hospitality, a significant number of workers risk moving into unemployment when the furlough scheme ends in the spring. The government should bear that in mind for the jobs support programmes it is providing," Nye Cominetti, the senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, told The Guardian.
A report by the British Beer & Pubs Association and the consultancy Oxford Economics has earlier warned that 291,000 jobs in the hospitality trade could be lost as a result of coronavirus restrictions.
Dharavi slum in Mumbai
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)