Unemployment among workers from ethnic minorities in the UK is up to twice as high as it is for white people, a report says.

The rate of unemployment for ethnic minority men is 13%, compared with 6% for white men.

Union leader John Monks said the figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, revealed that "racism still blights the working lives" of many black and Asian people in Britain.

The figures reveal that there are wide variations in unemployment levels between ethnic groups.

The unemployment figure for Indian men is just 1% higher than that for white male workers.

But Black Caribbean, African and Pakistani/Bangladeshi men have much higher unemployment rates.

Higher qualifications

The study indicates that the pattern of unemployment is similar for women, although those of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin have a high unemployment rate of 24%.

It says ethnic minority workers are just as qualified as whites, with some groups such as Black African and Indian achieving higher qualifications.

Mr Monks, general secretary of the TUC said: "It is crucial that unions and employers work together to combat racist attitudes at work."

The study says there are 2.4 million ethnic minority people of working age in Britain, almost half of whom live in London.

It also says:

• Around 75% of ethnic minority men work in the service sector, compared with just over 65% of white men.

• 52% of working Bangladeshi men and 44% of working Chinese men are employed in restaurants. The figure for white men is 1%.

• One in eight Pakistani men are cab drivers or chauffeurs, compared with a national average of one in 100.

• Indian men are 10 times more likely than average to be doctors.