Faith in the graduate labour market
Over the last few years we’ve witnessed a growing number of initiatives, forums and research addressing issues of ethnicity, disability, age and gender in relation to employment. But what about religion and belief? What impact does it actually have on graduate employability? Are particular faith groups more disadvantaged than others? How are employers and institutions addressing this complex area of diversity?
What the research shows
Some research has been conducted to look at how graduates from certain religious backgrounds are faring in the labour market. In 2005, the Department for Work and Pensions in partnership with the DfES examined the participation and outcomes of Muslim graduates in higher education and the labour market. The report highlighted a number of key issues, one of which was that Muslim graduates were less likely than the average graduate to be in employment; in fact, there was an 11% gap in the percentage of Muslim graduates in employment compared with the overall graduate rate. However, this only focuses on a particular faith group. The extent to which religion impacts on the employment outcomes and career choices of graduates is still generally poorly understood. It’s also difficult to compare the performance of different faith groups in the job market after they leave university since data on religion is not collected as part of the DLHE survey. Nevertheless, we do know that religious discrimination and addressing the needs of faith groups still remain a challenge, so what is being done to support the religion and employment agenda?
Positive initiatives
Beyond the legislation, some employer-led ground breaking work is taking place in this area. The Employers’ Forum on Belief (EFB is one such example. The Forum was founded in 2004 by some of the UK’s leading employers. It has become an influential independent network and in January of this year it was re-launched and is currently facilitated by the Employers’ Forum on Age. EFB supporters include high profile organisations such as Accenture, BT, BBC, HSBC, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Shell. The EFB offers employers practical guidance and shares good practice around issues such as dress codes, religious holidays and prayer facilities. With the re-launch it has set out to extend its activities to include religion and belief equality training via seminars and workshops, an annual conference which took place in February to explore emerging workplace issues on religion and belief, as well as regular information, briefings and legal updates for employers.
What HE careers services are doing
Sheffield Hallam University Careers and Employment Service, through the Impact Programme, has been offering their students a Faith and Work session for the last three years in conjunction with a multi-faith adviser. It started out as an event specifically for the Islamic Society in response to concerns a few students raised about suspected 'Islamophobia' following interview experiences. Now it is open to all and case studies have been used to reflect issues from different faiths. Events have generated interesting discussion promoting respect and flexibility, the need to recognise one's needs and entitlements and also positive attitudes and actions that can prevent problems arising.
The Careers and Student Employment Service at the University of Westminster is also introducing a practical diversity workshop for students and will include faith and employment matters. Some service websites include links to Handling Discrimination: Religion and Belief on the Prospects website, a useful resource for students and graduates which includes information on the law, finding positive employers and case studies.
Where do we go from here?
Addressing faith and employment specifically could be discussed further in AGCAS via networks and email discussions lists. Currently there is no specific task group on religion and belief. Perhaps establishing one could examine issues specific to faith and irrespective of ethnicity? It could forge links with bodies such as the EFB and even lead on research. Such initiatives could certainly help us to develop a better understanding of this highly topical yet under-researched area of diversity. What do you think?
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This article first appeared in Phoenix (September 2008).
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