Ethnicity - Staff Monitoring Report 2022/23

Ethnicity 2022/23

Proportion % by Ethnicity Group in 2022/23

The majority of staff is White.

Ethnicity Group = e.g. Black, Asian and minoritised ethnicities

Scope: All Staff (please see inclusion/exclusion table) 

Snapshot date: 31st July 2023 (Academic Year 2022/23)

Population and Disclosure Rate over 5 years

Representation of Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff increased steadily over the five-year period.

Ethnicity disclosure rates remained high and stable over the five-year period​.

Snapshot date(s): 2018/19 to 2022/23 as at 31st July of each year.

Scope: All Staff – Academic Staff (Central, Regional, Researcher & ALs) and Professional & Support Staff – data does not include OU subsidiaries (OUSA, OUW, Mulberry Bear) or agency/temp workers.

Ethnicity subgroup and Nationality

Representation of minority ethnic staff varies across employee subgroups, with Research Staff showing the highest representation.

Staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds have a more internationally diverse nationality profile, while White staff are more likely to have UK nationality.

Ethnicity Subgroup = e.g. Asian, Black, Mixed, Other and White

Snapshot date(s): 2022/23 (as at 31st July 2023) 

Scope: All Staff – Academic Staff (Central, Regional, Researcher & ALs) and Professional & Support Staff – data does not include OU subsidiaries (OUSA, OUW, Mulberry Bear) or agency/temp workers.

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Ethnicity subgroup and ethnicity subgroup by Sex

Asian staff are the largest represented minority ethnic subgroup.

Women form the majority within every ethnicity subgroup, although the balance between women and men varies across the different groups.

Snapshot date(s): 2022/23 (as at 31st July 2023) 

Scope: All Staff – Academic Staff (Central, Regional, Researcher & ALs) and Professional & Support Staff – data does not include OU subsidiaries (OUSA, OUW, Mulberry Bear) or agency/temp workers.

Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff at the senior level

As at 31st July 2023, Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff represented 12.3% (38 out of 308) of the senior staff population, a 1.2 percentage point increase from 2021/22. The minority ethnic population is underrepresented within the SS bands (8.8%, 12 out of 136) and account for 15.1% of professor grades. Black colleagues are least represented at senior level, accounting for less than 2% of the senior leadership population. Three of the four minoritised communities are below the Equality Scheme target.

Representation increased throughout the period, reaching its highest level in the most recent academic year.

Representation of minority ethnic staff is higher in the PB1-PB3 grade group than in the SS0-SS5 grade group.

Snapshot date(s): 2018/19 to 2022/23 as at 31st July of each year (above chart) | below chart shows the current year 2022/23 (as at 31st July 2023) 

Scope: Staff with ‘SS’ (Senior Staff) grades or ‘PB’ (Professor) grades

Ethnicity subgroup at senior level (equity target)

As at 31st July 2023, Black, Asian and minority ethnic staff represented 12.3% (38 out of 308) of the senior staff population, a 1.2 percentage point increase from 2021/22. The minority ethnic population is underrepresented within the SS bands (8.8%, 12 out of 136) and account for 15.1% of professor grades. Black colleagues are least represented at senior level, accounting for less than 2% of the senior leadership population. Three of the four minoritised communities are below the Equality Scheme target.

Representation varies across minority ethnic subgroups at senior level, with the Asian and Other subgroups meeting or exceeding their targets, while the Black and Mixed subgroups remain below their target levels.

Representation varies by ethnicity subgroup and senior grade group.

Snapshot date(s): 2022/23 (as at 31st July 2023)

Scope: Staff with ‘SS’ (Senior Staff) or ‘PB’ (Professor) grades – data does not include OU Partner Organisations (OUSA, OUW), research students or contingent workers

Ethnicity - Recruitment

In 2022/23, a third of applications (33%) came from candidates from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, a 7.2 percentage point increase from the previous year (25.8% in 2021/22). Of all minority ethnic candidates interviewed, 20.9% were successful compared to 27.5% of all white applicants. Although Asian candidates make up the second largest group in the initial application pool (17%), they were the second least likely group to be successful after interview.

Reporting period : 1st August 2022 to 31st July 2023 

Scope: All Staff – Academic Staff (Central, Regional, Researcher & ALs) and Professional & Support Staff – data does not include OU subsidiaries (OUSA, OUW, Mulberry Bear) or agency/temp workers.

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