Workforce Integration Network (WIN)

Londoners from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds face disproportionate barriers in the labour market. The employment gaps between different minority ethnic groups and their white counterparts suggest ongoing inequalities in the labour market.

Research shows that there are significant differences in how Londoners are able to access high-quality work, wages, and workplace rights.

To ensure that London is a fair city for all that live here, it's critical to address barriers Londoners face in the workplace. 

How the Mayor is tackling London's labour market inequalities 

As part of his Strategy for Social Integration, in 2018 the Mayor launched the Workforce Integration Network (WIN).

WIN works with employers, industry bodies and other public authorities to improve pathways for under-represented groups in the workplace to access and progress in good work and sustainable careers. 

WIN is focused on improving labour market inequalities for groups identified as among the most underrepresented in London’s workforce, specifically:  

• Young Black men (16-24) and older Black men (50+)
• Black women
• Pakistani and Bangladeshi women

These groups experience unemployment at considerably higher rates in comparison with white Londoners and are significantly more likely to be in low-paid and insecure work, including pay well below the London Living Wage.  

Within these groups, WIN has a particular focus on disabled people and workers in lower socio-economic groups, as an intersectional approach shows that these factors are likely to compound labour market inequalities and exclusion. 

What does WIN do? 

WIN provides a range of interventions and tools to support employers to address labour market inequalities: 

• WIN supports and convenes employers, through its bespoke and tailored Design Labs programme, to analyse the challenges in each respective industry with their peers and develop and test co-designed, and innovative interventions to tackling underrepresentation and inequalities within these industries; 
• WIN produces resources, such as the Inclusive Employer Toolkits, to assist employers in key sectors of London’s economy to improve equality and inclusion in their organisation; 
• WIN commissions and publishes research to improve understanding of the barriers to accessing good work for particular groups, building the evidence base of which types of interventions are most effective at tackling labour market inequalities; 
• WIN works collaboratively with key partners to improve pathways into work for underrepresented groups such as young Black men. 

See below for more detailed information on each strand of WIN’s work.   

Employers: how can you help? 

Underrepresentation in the workplace is caused by a range of factors including discrimination, skills mismatch, and lack of qualifications and networks. For this to change, employers must be more aware of the problem and what they can do to address it. 

WIN works with employers to address the challenges of improving representation in the workplace. All that is required is a commitment to engage with the programme. 

Which industries does WIN focus on? 

WIN provides support to employers in key industries which have been identified as key growth sectors in London’s economy and priorities for the Mayor, including:  

• Health  
• Social Care  
• Creative industries  
• Green economy 
• Digital 
• Hospitality