Graduates from ethnic minorities still face obstacles to employment despite having gained a degree, according to a study released this week.
The Ethnic Minority Graduates: Differences by Degrees report, written by four Institute for Employment Studies researchers, revealed a complex picture, with contrasting experiences for graduates from different ethnic groups.
Students from ethnic minorities were more likely to enrol in "new" universities, where at some they comprise more than 30 per cent of undergraduates. Older institutions had below-average enrolments from ethnic minorities, even though they represent almost one in eight UK students.
This situation made it more difficult for graduates from ethnic minorities to get jobs, said Helen Connor, an associate fellow of IES and co-author of the report.
"The graduate labour market is increasingly competitive and class of degree and university attended have become key discriminators used by employers," she said.
Adding to the problem was the trend by graduate recruiters to target specific universities, often the more traditional and prestigious, which have low numbers of students from ethnic minorities.
Compared with whites, graduates from ethnic minorities were unemployed more often, had to apply for a greater number of jobs initially and took longer to get their first job, and were more likely to feel slightly under-employed.
African-Caribbean students surveyed had experienced greater labour market disadvantage than those from other ethnic minorities. They were more likely to experience racial discrimination, were less satisfied with their careers and had lower salaries.
The situation for Indians, however, was somewhat similar to whites in areas such as graduate level job and promotion prospects.
The research was commissioned by the Department for Education and Employment and included a survey of 1993 graduates, and in-depth interviews with 10 employers, six career advisors and 25 ethnic minority graduates.
The interviews revealed differing experiences. It was positive for some but others encountered subtle forms of marginalisation.
Ethnic Minority Graduates: Differences by Degrees, H. Connor, I LA Valle, N. Tackey, S. Perryman. IES Report 309, 1996. Pounds 37 from BEBC Ltd, PO Box 1496, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset BH12 3YD.