The Young Diversity Survey of Vocational Social Education (Espro) showed that 41% of young black people in Brazil have already been excluded from social groups in the workplace. Furthermore, 38% did not receive recognition for their ideas. The study was carried out in partnership with Diverse Soluções, a diversity and inclusion business ecosystem.
The survey consulted 3,257 teenagers and young people from across the country, aged between 14 and 23, who are or have already been supported by Espro’s development and inclusion initiatives – free professional training courses, the Professional Learning Program (Young Apprentice) or the Internship Program.
Of the total number of participants, 53% (1,713) identified themselves as black (70% mixed race and 30% black). Responses were collected between September 16th and October 31st, 2024.
Also in relation to situations at work, 30% of black teenagers and young people said they had already encountered difficulty accessing environments, equipment or people; 29% said they had already suffered verbal, physical or psychological violence; and 19% reported not being considered for promotions.
Furthermore, 32% have already been disqualified from a job vacancy due to their individual characteristics.
This was the case of Rayane Júlia Xavier da Silva, 19 years old, now an apprentice in the financial department of a healthcare institution, who suffered racial abuse while working, also as an apprentice, in a hotel. “An older colleague said that I was the first ‘mulatinha’ who wasn’t interested in white people,” he explained.
Rayana even took the case to her superiors, but the company took no action at the time: “I preferred to leave because I was afraid that something even worse would happen due to the person’s history, which was also homophobic. I stayed there for three months, but due to the discomfort of the case I decided to leave the job.”
The study revealed that all these percentages are lower among young people who do not declare themselves black. Of these, 37% have felt excluded from social groups and 24% have had difficulty accessing environments, equipment or people at work, for example.
“Although they face challenges regarding diversity on all aspects of their daily lives, black teenagers and young people feel that work is a more welcoming and inclusive space. The debates and awareness promoted in the corporate environment can help them deal with unpleasant or hostile situations in other areas of their lives”, analyzed, in a note, Alessandro Saade, executive superintendent of Espro.
According to the survey, 66% of young black people have never felt coerced into hiding or omitting their diversity, whether ethnic, religious, related to sexuality or social status during their professional activities.
While 46% of young black people said they had already felt or witnessed situations of prejudice related to diversity in the workplace, the rates rose to 78% and 80% in public services and at school or college, respectively.
Furthermore, the study points out that the difficulties in experiencing diversity are more pronounced among young black women from the LGBTQIAPN+ community. In this group, 86% reported having felt or witnessed situations of prejudice in public services and at school or college. At work, the rate is 45%.
“It is essential that young black people receive support and support in their first steps into the job market. To this end, companies must reinforce mechanisms to prevent and combat any form of discrimination”, assesses Beatriz Santa Rita, diversity specialist and director of Diverse Soluções, in a note. She added that it is still common for discriminatory experiences to keep young black people away from the formal work environment and contribute to the increase in informality.
This content was originally published in Four in ten young black people have already been excluded from work, according to a study on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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