The Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity's (PRIAE) survey found that smaller enterprises did not see any commercial benefits in employing people from ethnic minorities. The survey was based on 300 firms.

PRIAE director Professor Naina Patel commented:

"It's essentially a matter of improving SMEs' education and a step change in their actions.

"The evidence for the benefits of ethnic diversity in the workplace is compelling. When we spoke to ethnically diverse SMEs we got the same story: diversity prompts greater awareness of business opportunities, particularly with regard to identifying new customers and developing new markets."