49% rise in long-term unemployment for BME young people since 2010, Labour outline plan to address this

Labour are today pledging that they will help to get 3,200 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) young people who are currently unemployed into work.

This comes after figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that since 2010 the number of BAME people aged between 18-24 has risen by 49%.

Labour’s focus on BAME unemployed will be part of their wider promise to to guarantee every young person out of work for over a year and claiming benefits a paid job and training.

Today at a roundtable, Rachel Reeves, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Gloria De Piero Shadow Minister for Equalities and Sadiq Khan, Shadow Justice Secretary and London Minister will announce that the party will be producing a BAME manifesto for the election which will explain Labour’s approach to furthering race equality.

Ahead of this Reeves explained that the high number of unemployed black and minority ethnic young people shows the “Tory plan is failing” and that it is a “huge waste of the next generations skills…and it comes at a huge cost to young black and minority ethnic people, their families, taxpayers and the economy.”

Meanwhile, Khan has highlighted the fact that disproportionately affected by the cuts:

“The Government’s failure to get to grips with BAME youth unemployment shows their complacency towards Britain’s ethnic minority communities. Ethnic minority Britons have been hit hard by the cost of living crisis and many communities are really struggling.

“Labour’s BAME manifesto will outline our plan to build an economy that works for ethnic minority families and to tackle race inequality.”