The
UK,
US and other
western countries are not entirely free of
racial prejudices.
Minority applicants are often unfairly denied jobs, for
subtle reasons such as
employers considering them '
awkward to work with'. Ethnic Minorities Quotas are a way to pressure companies into keeping a
proportion of minorities in their
workforce. In theory, this should cancel out employers' natural
prejudices when hiring. And, to an extent, it works.
However, this often has unfortunate side effects. Minority employees could well be seen as being employed for the colour of their skin rather than their talent. (And face it, some will in fact be employed for this reason.) They may be resented by white employees, or find themselves having to 'prove themselves' to a white employer.
Ethnic Minority Quotas can also be applied to Universities or Colleges, as a way to give more opportunities to disadvantaged minority students. This is also a mixed blessing, for similar reasons.