SCOTLAND
The Scottish Government is to examine the possible introduction of a new rule that would require at least one person from an ethnic minority background to be interviewed for every Public Service job.
A member of the Labour Opposition, Anas Sarwar said minority communities were “chronically underrepresented” in the Public Service and other public sector bodies.
Mr Sarwar highlighted research showing only 1.8 per cent of Public Servants were from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) background and only one in 10 people in the most senior posts were from a BAME background.
He called on First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon to ask the Scottish Government to undertake “a full and regular audit” of the diversity of both the Public Service and the wider public sector.
“Will she support the implementation of the Rooney Rule, which means that at least one person with an ethnic minority background is shortlisted when a vacancy arises?” Mr Sarwar asked during Question Time.
The Rooney Rule was first introduced in the American football league in 2002 and is named after Dan Rooney, the former owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and former Chair of the league’s Diversity Committee.
It requires league teams to interview ethnic minority candidates for head coaching and senior operation jobs.
Its use has since been adopted by other organisations as part of a drive to improve diversity, including social media companies Pinterest and Facebook.
Replying to Mr Sarwar, Ms Sturgeon said she would ask Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government, Leslie Evans (pictured) to consider the proposal.
She said the Scottish Government was “absolutely determined to increase the number of people from ethnic minorities who work in the organisation”.
“They are underrepresented in the Scottish Government at the moment, as will be the case for many organisations and employers. Just as it is important that we redress the imbalance in gender, it is vital that we redress the imbalance that affects people from ethnic minorities,” Ms Sturgeon said.
Edinburgh, 24 February, 2019
