Indians are Scotland's most educated and qualified ethnic community

LONDON: The Indian community in Scotland has emerged as the country's most educated and qualified ethnic community. For people aged 16 to 74 in employment, a high proportion of Indians have been found to be managers and directors. Nearly half (48%) of people from India were in these high occupation groups, compared to a quarter of the population as a whole. Indians were also found to be the largest proportion of people (36%) in the highest social grade AB. This compared to under a fifth (19%) of the population. For people aged 16 and above, Indians were also found to be most likely to be highly qualified - 62% had a "Level 4 and above" qualification (degree level and above). In the population as a whole, only a quarter (26%) of people held a "Level 4 and above" qualification. The 2011 Census showed that the "White: Scottish" group made up 84% of Scotland's 5.3 million population. Minority ethnic groups made up 4% of the population - Pakistanis (49,000 people) was the largest of these, followed by Chinese (34,000). There were roughly equal numbers of people who recorded their ethnicity as Indian and African (33,000 and 30,000 people, respectively). Similar was the story across UK as an analysis recently found that Indians in UK were the most prosperous among all minority groups. Almost all minority groups, except the Indian community, have unemployment rates double the national average. Black Africans (18.3%) have the highest unemployment rate. Around 39% of Pakistani and 42% of Bangladeshi women have never worked. Almost 1 in 4 Pakistani men are taxi drivers and half of all Bangladeshi men work in restaurants. In contrast 43% of Indians work in the highest skilled professions. A new report called Portrait of Modern Britain reveals revealed that almost one in three people in Britain will be from an ethnic minority by 2050. The Census in Scotland made some interesting observations overall about the ethnic community. Polish people were found to be most likely to be economically active while Pakistanis living in Scotland were the most likely to be self-employed. Africans living in Scotland were the most likely to be unemployed while the Indian community the most highly qualified. -TOI