Hodge urges job help for Muslims

Mrs Hodge is employment minister

Muslim graduates should get more help to get them into jobs, Employment Minister Margaret Hodge is due to say.

Her call comes after a study suggested there was an 11% gap between Muslims and other graduates in finding work.

She will tell a seminar in London it is vital to discover why young Muslims with promising starts fail to get jobs.

According to independent research discrimination is one problem - but strong family ties and an unwillingness to relocate could also play a part.

Mrs Hodge will say that the situation is worrying and completely unacceptable and it is vital to discover why so many young Muslims have a promising start by getting into higher education, but then fail to find a job .

She will call on educators, trainers and employers to work together to improve matters. She will also say that it is important to find ways of encouraging young Muslims to feel integrated into British society, in the light of the terrorist attacks in London on 7 July.