The value of multicultural workplaces is disputed by most businesses, according to research by a think-tank based on interviews with almost 300 small and medium enterprises.

The CBI-backed survey by the Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity - the largest to chart business views on this issue - found that while a third agreed that ethnic diversity contributed to performance, slightly more disagreed. Although 45 per cent said their management had policies for making older workers feel more included and 42 per cent ran similar practices for female staff, only 25 per cent did so for ethnic minority staff.