“I am currently working as a care assistant, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a care assistant if that’s by choice. In this case, it is not by choice. I have a Ph.D. in Business Management and was hoping to get a job in the financial services sector. I was a banker in Ghana, but my banking experience seems not to weigh much in the UK… no UK bank experience means no UK bank Job.”
Those are the words of *Aboagye. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated story among Africans in Scotland, according to recent research.
Labour market imperfections are part of the findings of The Diaspora African Women Support Network (DAWSUN) research on the impact of COVID-19 on the socio-economic status of Africans living in Scotland. The Voices Within Research report throws up stark employment inequalities. While research suggests that higher qualification levels and skills in the general population are associated with a substantially higher probability of securing employment and higher earnings, that is not the reality for Africans in Scotland. Participants in the research included three people with doctorate degrees in law, finance and business management who currently work as a security guard, kitchen porter and care assistant respectively.
Daniel holds a Ph.D. in Finance from a University in Dundee Scotland. He currently works as a security guard with one of the major supermarkets in Glasgow, three years after graduation. He is overqualified for his current job. Daniel has struggled to get the right job that matches his academic qualifications.
“I applied to over a hundred Universities for a faculty position immediately after my graduation. I was shortlisted for interviews in about thirty of the Universities, but I was not successful. I had to remove my Ph.D. qualification from my CV to be able to land this job. It is very frustrating to know that after spending so much money on University tuition fees, I had to jettison the certificate to take on menial jobs to support my family”.
Abina, who qualified as an accountant, could not secure an accounting role in Aberdeen because although she performed very well in the interview, she was not given the position. After all, they told her that she was over-qualified for the role.
“I had applied for other roles after the accounting position interview, but I always got the on-this-occasion rejection emails. I had to take up a care assistance position to earn some income. I will keep trying to improve my skill sets to be able to get a better job. I am thinking of enrolling on the ACCA programme. That may improve my chances of securing a good job”.
Lerato, a Master’s Degree holder from a University in Glasgow, could not get a position as a Business Intelligence Analyst because they said she was also over-qualified for the job. This entry-level position requires a person with a first degree and knowledge of Excel.
“I think the mistake I made was not removing my Master’s degree from my CV. I was asked to produce a Dashboard in Excel during the interview, and I did it very well. The interview panelists were very impressed with my work. They wrote to me after two days to advise that my academic qualifications and technical knowledge were higher than that position, with a starting salary of £21,000 per annum. I don’t mind the salary of £21,000 per annum; all I was looking for was ways to gain a foothold into the labour market“.
The story is not different for Aboagye, a former Ghanaian banker before migrating to the United Kingdom.
“I have four degree certificates, and it has been challenging getting a job that is appropriate with my certificate. I spent several thousands of pounds in school fees and other living expenses and am still working as a security man, an occupation you do not even need more than a high school qualification”.
Aboagye is frustrated that his banking experience from his home country does not mean anything to potential employers.
“I am currently working as a care assistant, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a care assistant if that’s by choice. In this case, it is not by choice. I have a Ph.D. in Business Management and was hoping to get a job in the financial services sector. I was a banker in Ghana, but my banking experience seems not to weigh much in the UK… no UK bank experience means no UK bank Job.”
Despite ninety-three percent of the participants in the research holding either a college, graduate or postgraduate degree including Ph.D., the majority of them are languishing in low-paid jobs.
While it is a fact that the risk of poverty for highly qualified individuals and their children are reduced in the general population, such is not the case for the African community in Scotland, who have been hit the hardest by the effects of the pandemic. The research also found that Africans in Scotland face more significant challenges than other ethnic minorities in areas of income, wealth accumulation, housing and debt.
The report calls for an inclusive post-pandemic recovery and makes five recommendations including reporting ethnicity data at the ethnic subgroup level. The full report can be found here.
*Names in the report were changed to protect privacy