HR 'should do more' to attract BME staff

The human resources (HR) divisions of organisations should do more to attract employees from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, it has been claimed.

According to reports by Personnel Today, the UK's secretary for communities Hazel Blears is calling upon HR professionals to try and attract those from BME backgrounds by actively entering and engaging with these communities in the areas where they live.

"HR can explain that the jobs they've got on offer can be done by a whole range of different backgrounds, but that means going out recruiting in different places - going to places where people themselves feel comfortable," said Ms Blears in an interview with the publication.

In related news, the most recently available data from the Office for National Statistics, a body which includes the General Register Office, shows that the employment rate for those from BME backgrounds is 57.3 per cent.

Over the period recorded, the rate for white people is higher at 75.5 per cent.