Experts Present Recommendations for Monitoring Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in the EU
The European Network Against Racism (ENAR) has progressed its work to find better ways of monitoring ethnic diversity at the workplace in the EU. Being able to track numbers consistently has been seen as key enabler to drive the inclusion of ethnic minorities in employment. The special interest NGO had conducted an extensive survey in the fall / winter of 2010 and hosted an expert meeting in Brussels on December 8th to discuss the current situation and potential ways forward. An ad-hoc expert group made up of business and civil society representatives mapped out existing methods of monitoring ethnic and/or cultural diversity. The meeting also aimed at improving the co-operation of participants when dealing with the issues and developing new strategies to measure ethnic/cultural diversity on the European and on national levels.
Monitoring diversity numbers are one of the essential elements to keep track of the progress of any diversity strategy. “Representational numbers are not everything,” says Diversity expert Michael Stuber who took part in ENAR’s survey, “but without them, your Diversity reporting can face fierce criticism”. The situation in the different EU member states has been challenging when it comes to ethnic monitoring, e.g. in the context of European benchmarking systems, Stuber added. The new discussion “provides hope” for a consistent framework to emerge.
In fact, the ad-hoc expert group’s report, which will be presented at ENAR’s upcoming employment conference on 24 June 2011 in Brussels, contains recommendations for private and public sector employers as well as for the EU and its institutions. The conference will feature European politicans, civil society members and also business representatives. Its overall goal is to progress further towards the objective of creating an alliance for equality in the workplace. The conference will not only address Europe-wide equality legislation, but will include discussions on better employment strategies, active ageing and national-level partnerships. It is expected that the question of monitoring ethnic diversity will also be tackled and advanced.
