Equality and Diversity

Facts and Figures

74% of those working within the Public Sector are aged over 35, which compares to 62% in the Private Sector.

Only 6% of Public Sector workers are aged under 25, compared to 16% in the Private Sector.

Those Public Sector workers who are aged over 50 have increased from 1997 to 2006 from 20% to 23%.

Of those employed within the Public Sector in 2006, 8% were from non-white ethnic groups, which is similar to the Private Sector.

From 2001 to 2006 the % of employees in the non-white ethnic group within the Public Sector has increased from 6% to 8%.

In 2006, 14% of employees within the Public Sector had a long-term disability, which compares to 13% in the Private Sector.

71% of Public Sector employees are employed on a full-time basis, with 29% employed on a part-time basis.

In 2006, 13% of men were working in the Public Sector, while 28.6% of women were working in the Public Sector.

12% of men in the Public Sector are in jobs as Managers or Senior Officials compared to 6% of women.

Nearly half of those working in the Public Sector are educated to degree level or some form of Higher Education

15 of 646 MP's are from ethnic minorities and only 2 of those are women.

In 2006, 29.3% of local councillors in England were women, compared to 52% of the adult population.

There are currently 168 ethnic minority Women Councillors.  This represents 0.9% of the councillors in England. (Ethnic minority women make up 4.6% of the adult population)

In 2007 35.5% of chairs of local NHS Boards were Women, of which 3.8% were from Ethnic Minority communities.

58 ethnic minority women are holders of Judicial Offices.

A survey by the EOC found that 16 year olds of Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Caribbean descent are up to for times more likely to be jobless than their White counterparts.

Equality and Diversity

A new commission has been created called the Commission for Equality & Human Rights (CEHR). This was formed from bringing together the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Disability Rights Commission and the Commission for Racial Equality.

The role of the Commission is to eradicate discrimination of all kinds including issues around Sexual Orientation, Gender, Religious Beliefs, Race, Age and Disability.

Public Bodies are committed to employing a diverse workforce ensuring all those who are eligible to be employed receive equal treatment.

There is a need to ensure the Local Authorities are staffed in such a way as to represent the local community.

The Local Authorities and other Public Bodies always attempt to involve the local population when decisions are made about how services are run, to make sure that everyone's needs are considered.

There is also a duty on Public Authorities to promote equality of opportunity between men and women working within the Public Sector - which is known as GED (Gender Equality Duty).

Public Bodies oppose all forms of discrimination wherever and whenever they occur and actively work to combat intolerance throughout.  Act positively to prevent harassment of and violence against all citizens.

As far as is possible, Public Bodies try to ensure that there is equal access to jobs at all levels of the organisation so that workforces reflect the diversity within the local region.

Jobs are advertised in such a way as to reach all communities, ensuring that groups that are under-represented in the workforce have an opportunity to apply for the posts.

Public Bodies provide job details and accept job applications in alternative formats such as large print, electronic media, braille and audio.

The Local Authorities and Public Bodies have a commitment to equality and diversity in job advertisements, application forms and marketing material.

(Source: National Statistics Office 2006)