5/22/2009 11:57:00 AM Letter - CURE: we stand by our data and urge all employers to embrace equality
By the numbers
Statistics selected by CURE in response to the Bermuda Employment Council (BEC)'s Shift in Employment Trends Report.
• In 2007, Bermudians represented 67% of the workforce. The majority were black at 72%. White Bermudians represented 20% and mixed/all other races 8%. Non-Bermudians made up 27% of the workforce. The majority were white at 59%. Black non-Bermudians represented 14% and mixed/all other races 27%.
• Proportionally, Bermudians in the workforce have been declining. In 2004 Bermudians made up 70%. This dropped to 69% in 2005 and 67% in 2006 and 2007. Conversely, the level of representation for non-Bermudians regardless of race has risen since 2004. Non-Bermudians in 2004 totalled 24%; in 2005, 26%; and in 2006 and 2007, 27%.
• In 2007, black Bermudians made up 48% of the workforce, a drop from 50% in 2004; 49% in 2005; and 48% in 2006.
• Of all black people in the workforce the majority in 2007 stated they were Bermudian at 90%; Black non-Bermudians represented 7% of all black people.
• The Public Administration sector employed the majority of workers at 14%, closely followed by the International Business sector at 13%.
In 2007 black employees represented 81% of all jobs in the Public Administration sector. White employees represented 14%. In the International Business sector, 55% of employees were white, 33% black.
• At 76%, executive managers in the Public Administration sector were majority black in 2007, while 18% were white.
• In 2007, 85% of executive managers in the International Business sector were majority white, 7% black.
• Black employees continued to be highly represented in the non-professional positions at 62% in 2007.
• At the executive management level, white Bermudians and white non-Bermudians held nearly equal levels of representation in 2007 at 29% and 28%, respectively.
• At the senior management level, black Bermudians recorded a larger percentage at 29% in 2007; however, white non-Bermudians were nearly equally represented at 28%.
• In 2007, there were 9,155 jobs - 45% held by blacks, 41% by whites - within organizations that employed less than 10 people, representing 23% of the entire workforce of 39,851.
• Of all blacks in these smaller companies, the majority could be found in Construction (19% or 774 people) and other community social and personal (15% or 612 people) sectors. Of all whites in these smaller companies, the majority could be found in International Business (15% or 570 people) and the business services (14% or 517 people).
Sources: CURE 2007 Report, 2007 Employment Survey Database for Companies with less than 10 Employees
Dear Sir,
Re: Response to the national workforce study by the Bermuda Employers' Council - The Shift: An Examination of Employment Trends in Bermuda - June 2008, and its resulting debate in Parliament on May 15, 2009
The Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) joins those who applaud the Bermuda Employers Council (BEC) for their contribution to dialogue on employment trends in Bermuda.
The report, 'The Shift: An Examination of Employment Trends in Bermuda - June 2008' and its debate in Parliament (May 15) underscores the need for dialogue and appropriate action to prepare Bermudians for the workplace that will include guest workers. CURE submits its response to the continuing debate toward change that begins by accepting the need for change.
The article 'Make expats feel welcome - Grant Gibbons' appeared in the May 18 edition of The Royal Gazette. CURE continues to affirm the value and need for foreign workers to help service the demands of Bermuda's workforce.
Also, CURE continues to affirm that its statistical reports are vital to help identify demographics of groups within the workforce; and to show how those groups fare with respect to opportunity provided to Bermudians and non-Bermudians in the workforce.
CURE is pleased to continue to inform industry and the general public about such data, its analyses and its employment trends for Bermuda. Acceptance of the facts provides an objective basis for constructive dialogue and commitment to change; change in policies, procedures and practice - change based on fairness, justice and equity; change in favour of both Bermudians and guests who are welcomed as an integral part of Bermuda's workforce.
What are some of the facts identified by the BEC study and highlighted by its continued debate? CURE would suggest the following as selected for continued reflection:
n Bermuda's workforce will continue to demand the presence of guest workers;
n Appropriate education and training of Bermudians is a must to prepare Bermudians for all employment opportunities provided in Bermuda;
n Multiple factors must be considered when interpreting conclusions drawn by a given study, such as the BEC research on employment trends;
n Collaborative action must inform how industry, the Government and the general public will profit from research on issues impacting the composition, relationships and productivity of the Bermuda workforce.
CURE provided a response to the BEC report in a letter addressed to Martin Law, Executive Director of the Bermuda Employers' Council; the letter was dated October, 20, 2008. CURE commended the Council for its study, affirmed the value of many of its findings and invited opportunity for continued dialogue.
CURE also questioned conclusions of the study on its interpretation of CURE's data - data collected by the Department of Statistics during its annual employment survey. CURE downloads data based on CURE criteria, analyzes the data and submits its report to Parliament and to companies.
The reports of CURE have been affirmed by statisticians as statistically sound and its conclusions provide an accurate record of the state of the races in industry, based on the criteria established. The absence of more detailed information on race relations in the workforce does not negate the validity of conclusions derived that are representative of the workforce in general.
What the report does not explain when citing facts about disparity in employment opportunities, are the reasons for disparity among groups in the workforce. CURE conducts follow-up visits with companies to discuss racial demographics for respective companies to better understand reasons for disparity and to suggest possible actions to meet the challenges.
Accept the facts
CURE welcomes constructive criticism to improve its measures for progress in race relations. CURE also invites industry to accept the facts revealed by statistical data, and to be committed to provide fair and equitable compensation and benefits as well as equal access to employment opportunity to all Bermudians.
Multiple approaches are needed to build a workforce that reflects the demographics of Bermuda's racial and ethnic groups. For example:
n Quality public and private education provided to all;
n Effective mentoring and management development programmes provided by companies for all;
n Equity measures practised by companies to ensure fairness to all.
Collaborative efforts are needed to build racial harmony and promote equality and inclusiveness for Bermudians and guest workers. For example:
n Validation of Government and companies that give evidence of work equity policies, procedures and practices that are fair to all;
n Support for collective processes of research for the value of conclusions concerning employment trends, as well as statistical facts about race relations, issues of disparity and needs of identified groups who have not experienced access to desired employment opportunities;
n Commitment to build on the strengths of all participants committed to building community and harmony for a stable and growing economy and for a Bermuda that provides a secure future for its citizens and a home away from home for its guests.
The Commission will continue to produce credible statistical reports to inform policy and initiatives by Government, companies and other community organizations.
Also, the Commission remains open to dialogue with all stakeholders in Bermuda, "to help shape the future economic and social prosperity of Bermuda." The Commission believes that collective input to guiding Bermuda's future will ensure a Bermuda whose assets and opportunities are enjoyed by all.
Michelle Scott,
Chairperson, CURE
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, May 29, 2009
Comment by:
henoch narmer
Bottom line is, according to the above: blacks hold most of the lower paying jobs while whites hold most of the higher paying jobs.Whites are imported for the higher paying jobs almost exclusively, Bermudians are being moved out of the work force like the proverbial frog in the pot, ever so slowly. Same story different day. Statisticians may indeed look at the collected data and give it a thumbs up but can we Africans (blacks) trust CURE to be honest? We Africans (blacks) should come up with our own corroborative study as a check since we didn't initiate this. The situation could be far worse than is being revealed for us. Didn't notice any stats on business ownership which is where the real wealth is accumulated, hence the most important aspect to be cognizant of. When these stats are factored in we then will see just how far we Africans haven't come and better where we need to go.
Posted: Saturday, May 23, 2009
Comment by:
Brian
Did I not state something like this before when some one was ranting on about how black people with college degree are paid less than whites. I said it was because more black educated black people work for the government and government was paying them less than they would get in the private sector.
Point proven.
The Big Conversation is a smoke screen to blow smoke in peoples eyes and keep them away from the truth. Now lets stop this stupidity and fix the education system. To quote this article "Appropriate education and training of Bermudians is a must to prepare Bermudians for all employment opportunities provided in Bermuda". So lets get rid of the Middle school system, fix education, and empower our children.
Posted: Friday, May 22, 2009
Comment by:
Larry Burchall
PARTIAL RESPONSE TO CURE’S ANSWER IN THE BERMUDA SUN.......
Cure’s bullet points six and seven neatly capture the core problem. Bullet point six shows a heavily black (i.e. disproportionately black at 76%) Public Administration executive managers. Bullet point seven shows a heavily white (disproportionately white at 85%) International Business sector. …… The core problem is that there is disproportion. The key fact is that the disproportion is driven by sheer numerical factors – not overtly racial factors. ….. CURE shows, in this letter, that the broad Public Administration is 81% black. Thus it is disproportionately black. This disproportion has to be matched by a disproportion somewhere. That is the law of mathematics. Too MUCH here MUST be matched by too LITTLE somewhere else. It’s mathematics, not race. It’s the law of numbers. ….. Black disproportion (too many) in Public Administration is matched by black disproportion (too few) in the Private Sector. Similarly white disproportion in Public Administration (too few) is matched by white disproportion (too many) in the Private Sector. It’s mathematics. ….. If anyone takes the trouble to drill down into the numbers in Bermuda’s national workforce, this is what shows up. Black Bermudians are 81% of the Government workforce, but black Bermudians are 40% of the Private Sector workforce – disproportion! Majority in Government. Minority in the Private Sector. ….. Its mathematics. 18,000 black Bermudians divided themselves. 4,000 went into government working alongside another 1,000 persons (80% to 20%). 14,000 went into the private sector working alongside another 21,000 persons (40% to 60%). Its mathematics. ….. If government now dips into those 14,000 black Bermudians and takes even more into Public Administration, then there will be even fewer black Bermudians in the Private Sector. The disproportion will grow. ….. The “SHIFT” pointed out that this process of ‘minoritization’ has serious implications; and that these implications need to be recognized and thoughtfully considered…………………(Note that today, CURE says that Public Administration is 81% black. Back in the 1960’s Public Administration was 85% white. Is there something wrong here?)
Larry Burchall
Posted: Friday, May 22, 2009
Comment by:
racism?
So going off these statistics I guess it would be safe to say that the Bermudas public sector is racist towards white bermudians then?
