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While the economic downturn is certainly having a negative impact on racial discrimination in the world of work, the truth is that even before 2008 progress in this area was limited. “Racial issues have not been highlighted enough because of that.” Limited progress “Part of the problem in the country is the widespread perception that Brazil does not suffer from racial discrimination,” Egg says. In South Africa there is higher unemployment for blacks compared to the white minority, and lower representation of blacks in top management positions.Īccording to Rafaela Egg, a Brazil-based ILO specialist in gender and racial equality in the world of work, Brazil too is affected, data showing that the unemployment rate among “black” and “brown” workers stands at around 10.1 per cent, compared to 8.2 per cent among white workers. “The situation faced by people of African descent is a matter of particular concern around the globe,” says Wong, noting that trends comparable to those reported in the United States can also be seen in Europe. Indeed the unemployment rate remains almost twice as high for African-Americans relative to the white population in the United States, and the gap has widened since the beginning of the crisis. For example, in the United States, Department of Labor numbers show marked differences in outcomes for African-Americans compared with whites or indeed other minorities. One of the best proxy indicators of discrimination in the world of work is the unemployment rate, and here the evidence that certain racial minorities are being particularly hard hit in the current economic downturn is solid. “The situation faced by people of African descent is a matter of particular concern around the globe”
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There is thus an urgent need for governments to commit to putting in place the human, technical and financial resources needed to improve data collection. “The frequent unavailability of data and the absence of a clear definition of the grounds of discrimination at the national level make it hard to monitor progress and to target initiatives,” she says. “One of the key problems we face with regard to this issue is measurement,” says Wong, referring to the ILO’s recently published report Equality at work: The continuing challenge. While the drivers of racial discrimination and the socioeconomic exclusion it gives rise to are well understood, monitoring them is not easy. Finally, ethnic minorities, like migrant workers, become more vulnerable to scapegoating during downturns, and are easy targets for the racist rhetoric of political extremists, which of course feeds into further discrimination. Wong also notes that pro-cyclical austerity packages that have been introduced by governments concerned about debt levels can add to the woes of minorities, especially where social assistance or integration programmes are impacted. “Ethnic minorities face discrimination in the labour market and limited access to education and health care even when the economy is going well,” she says, “and in downturns those problems are exacerbated.” For Lisa Wong, Senior Declaration Officer in the ILO’s Programme on Promoting the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the reports that racial discrimination in the world of work is on the increase in the aftermath of the global economic downturn come as no surprise.