Unemployment amongst ethnic minorities must be tackled, according to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton as the government published new research.

The Department for Work and Pensions report found that ethnic minorities continue to face an employment gap.

It found that for women, the employment penalties faced by Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds are higher than the penalty for any ethnic group of no religion.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions John Hutton said: "We simply cannot afford to ignore the specific discrimination that exists in the UK labour market.

"Increasingly, we must focus on the most disadvantaged by rewarding private and voluntary sector providers based on their success in supporting the hardest to help back to work.

"This funding won't just be for overcoming the barriers to finding work - but rather overcoming the barriers to staying in work and progressing within the workplace too.”

Hutton added that improvement in training and skills, especially English language training, is also needed.