The Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE) does not believe enough is being done to address equality within the workforce.

Black employees now account for 54 percent of Bermuda's workforce, up one percent compared to data collected in 2006. Meanwhile the proportion of white employees dipped by one precent during the same period to 33 percent.

But 85 percent of blacks employed in Bermuda earn less than $79,999 compared to 67 percent of whites employed on the Island.

And black employees accounted for 62 percent of non-professionals employed while whites accounted for 66 percent of executive management postings.

The statistics were revealed in CURE's Annual Review of the Workforce, tabled in the last session of the House of Assembly. The aim of the report is to track employment trends and measure the extent to which Bermudians are being employed in the economy. It breaks down the data into a variety of sections including race and gender.

Regarding racial equality within the workforce the report found: "There has been some improvement over the survey inception period; but these improvements are not progressing at rate that would indicate a persistent effort to eradicate or balance inequality.

"An analysis of the data in its entirety indicates: blacks have consistently represented half of the workforce. If representation, in its purest form, means that people in Bermuda hold positions and earn income consistent with their demographics in the workforce, blacks should mirror their workforce representation figures in income earned and employment levels.

"Blacks continue to be featured highly [ 62 percent ] in non-professional levels of employment.

"Blacks continue to be the main earners of income below a certain threshold [$96,000] that white employees continually succeed in. Black executive and senior managers are still predominantly employed in government departments rather than private-sector organisations."

The report noted that business leaders continually attributed the low percentage of black employees in senior positions to the lack of educational qualifications among black employees.

"Employers consistently stated that if qualified black Bermudians applied for a job, he or she would be hired. There have been recent movements to overhaul the education system. Taking these intentions and plans into consideration, it remains to be seen what long-term impact on the racial demographics in the job market the outcome of current educational restructuring will have."

The 2007 report surveyed 28,731 employees and found that Bermudians accounted for 67 percent of the workforce while expats 27 percent and spouses of Bermudians accounted for five percent. Permanent residence certificate holders accounted for only one percent of the working population.