In order to truly establish the current status of minority employment within the UK PR industry, I have been speaking extensively with Mr Papa Lawson (an African who currently works with a Top 20 PR agency). I found some of his views very interesting and informing.
"Somehow I don't quite believe that there aren't enough qualified ethnic candidates in the applicant pool, everyone talks a good game about diversity and multiculturalism but in the end it's about commitment. In order to increase the number of minorities in PR, we need to recruit, hire, mentor and promote all people with equal tenacity. It's that simple. In light of our nation's changing demographics, our field must accurately reflect the diversity of thought in the population if we want to remain vital, strategic partners for our clients".
It can be argued that individual success in some fields is less dependent on merit as it on personal connections and aesthetics. Public Relations has always maintained a certain air of exclusivity but at what cost? How can we legitimately represent a diverse range of businesses and consumer brands (with diverse target audiences) if our employee base remains so homogeneous?
The UK currently has a ethnic minority population of 4635296 (Source: ONS, 2003). Go figure!
I want to hear from you.
www.cipr.co.uk/diversity
www.ons.com
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