Individuals from BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) groups accounted for 15% of the working age population in 2022,15% of those in work and 28% of the unemployed.
At 20%, BAME representation was higher amongst IT specialists than within the workforce as a whole (15%) in 2022 and in total there were 376,000 BAME IT specialists in the UK at that time.
BAME representation amongst IT specialists varies significantly across the UK - from just 5% in Wales, the North East and Northern Ireland to 36% in London.
Black women in IT in 2022 account for 14,000 people, which is 0.7% of the IT workforce, compared to 1.8% of general workforce.
BAME representation amongst IT specialists in 2022 was highest amongst IT Programmers/Developers (25%) and ‘Other IT Specialists’ (24%).
BAME IT specialists were marginally more likely to be working in non-permanent positions as their ‘white’ counterparts (4% versus 3% respectively).
There were approximately 5,000 unemployed IT specialists from BAME ethnic groups in the UK during 2022 – 15% of all unemployed IT specialists in the UK at that time.
The corresponding the associated unemployment rate for BAME IT specialists (1.2%) was lower than that of their ‘white’ counterparts (1.7%).
BAME IT specialists were marginally more likely to be self-employed than other IT staff during 2022 (7% compared with 6% of those from white ethnic groups).
Over one half (54%) of all BAME IT specialists were working in IT businesses in 2022 - a higher proportion than for those of white ethnicity (44%) and IT specialists as a whole (46%).
BAME representation was lowest within the manufacturing, transport/communications and ‘other service’ sectors where just 13% of IT specialists were from BAME ethnic groups.
In 2022, BAME IT specialists (full-time employees) were earning 11% more than those of white ethnicity, with median hourly rates of £26 and £23phr.
BAME IT specialists were less likely to be in ‘positions of responsibility’ than those of white ethnicity with 36% and 41% respectively stating that they were a manger/foreman or team leader in 2022.
Almost nine in ten BAME IT specialists have an HE level qualification (86%) compared with less than seven in ten (67%) of those from white ethnic groups.
BAME IT specialists are much less likely than others to find employment from contacts in post (12% compared with 18% of white IT specialists over the 2018-22 period).
