“We aren’t going anywhere,” Fash Fasoro, CEO of DataKirk, opened the Scottish Ethnic Minority Talent Summit at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh with some powerful truths and the definitive proclamation. It was met with some light-hearted chuckles and applause, but the sincere defiance was felt across the room. 

It was a statement of resilience as much as defiance – a reminder that Scotland’s strength, particularly in its growing tech and data sectors, lies in the communities that have chosen to build their futures here.

The opening speeches to DataKirk’s fourth summit highlighting Scotland’s vibrant and diverse talent pool is perhaps more timely than in previous years. 

Heightened political tensions, polarising language, soaring economic instability and the ever looming threat of climate change, global conflicts, the transformative potential of AI for better or for worse – times are uncertain, unstable, and in short, scary. 

Inescapable Intersections 

Scotland’s ethnic minority and immigrant communities are dealing with a constant intersection of personal and political struggles – the rise of racism and xenophobia, changing hurdles in the immigration system eroding pathways towards stability, coupled with the rising cost of living, rising employee costs, and growing financial strain felt across the nation.

Refugees and asylum seekers have faced hate as polarising right-wing rhetoric has been validated by major political parties, treating immigrants as a scapegoat for overarching economic issues facing the UK. 

Rallies from the far right, a rise in hate crimes, racism, and xenophobia have cemented a new era in the UK of “open and overt racism and xenophobia,” Richard Lochhead, MSP business minister for the Scottish government said at the Summit. 

The threat against indefinite leave to remain from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, and the changing goalposts for indefinite leave to remain proposed by the Labour party, has threatened paths to stability and security for the migrants that make life in the UK – with its exceeding wealth inequality, aging population, and economic upheaval due to Brexit – frankly, possible. 

Scotland’s tech sector runs on people – from developers and data scientists, to security engineers and product developers – and threatened immigration routes, rising xenophobia and economic strain put that talent pipeline that has served us so well in the past at risk.

When prospective hires face shifting rules or feel unwelcome hiring slows, projects stall and startups lose the diverse perspectives needed to build usable, secure and fair products – especially in AI, where representation directly affects bias and safety.

Essentially, if Scotland’s tech scene is to stay competitive and resilient, defending the people it’s dependent on isn’t just a moral imperative – it’s a business one. 

“We need the very best talent,” Albert King, chief data officer at NHS National Service Scotland, said, “not just technical, but it’s also the lived experience and cultural insight and creativity that comes from truly diverse perspectives.” 

Rhetoric Versus Allyship

While many Scots may be disturbed by the recent rise of racism and xenophobia, or may be unaware or unaffected by recent threats of changes to UK immigration policies, the ethnic minority and immigrant communities in Scotland and the rest of the UK have felt the effect of these changes keenly. 

“The UK immigration landscape is directly affecting the migrant and ethnic minority wellbeing in ways we cannot ignore,” Fasoro said. 

Wellbeing here means more than “yoga sessions or mindfulness” Fasoro said. Wellbeing is about “stability, belonging, and opportunity.” 

This is about stability on the streets, safety from racist attacks and discrimination, but also structural stability through clear and fair immigration pathways, improved workplace culture, and strong anti-racism policies in government and organisations. 

Fasoro went on to address this directly: “Ethic minorities need allies, genuine, courageous allies, to thrive in a new world shaped by AI and polarising political rhetoric.” 

It is impossible to escape talk of AI – many conversations around the technology now revolve around the need for return on investment, the rise of AI security risks and data governance. Misinformation and disinformation driven by AI, bias inherent in AI systems, and the threat of AI to job security is too often hand-waved away without real assurances that the technology is being leveraged in a considered and ethical manner.

While heavy investment and focus on AI is a given if the UK wants to compete on the global stage, things like the continuous rollout of AI systems in policing, as well as the eye-watering amount of investment in AI infrastructure, breeds distrust when said investment could be perceived by many to come at the expense of stagnating frontline services and ever-growing income inequality and wealth disparity.

When it comes to conversations around talent pools, recruitment of ethnic minorities, and the contributions of diverse talent in work, these cannot be separated from the rise of anti-immigrant rhetoric, with the Labour party wanting immigrants to prove more of their contributions to achieve the expensive but security-providing indefinite leave to remain residency status. 

Sneha Rao, internships manager at the Council on International Educational Exchange, touched on this during a panel discussion on mental wellbeing. 

An immigrant or person of colour “goes home and they are worrying everyday about their stability and their status in this country,” she said, when discussing the effects these political and structural changes mean. 

“Just like a colleague might be going through bereavement, these things will affect your colleagues ability to show up fully, their ability to progress,” she said. 

“It’s important to actually check in with someone, not just teach them to be resilient, but to check in with your colleagues or employees with how these things are affecting them.”

Ethnic minorities and immigrants are not able to have conversations about work without taking these political issues into consideration, their identities follow them into the workplace, and workplace policies follow them home.

Lived Reality and Structural Change 

But structural changes are required as well. Accountability is essential, as benchmarks and obstacles shift, ethnic minorities and immigrants need governments to hold themselves and organisations to account for structural issues contributing to inequality and discrimination. 

Fasoro attempted to enlighten those in the room about the costs of the average immigrant family trying to find stability and security in Scotland. 

“How many of us truly understand what a working life feels like for an average migrant family in Scotland?” he questioned. 

Many are unaware of the financial burden the visa process places on the immigrant, who often provides essential skills and talent to shrinking industries like health and care. 

Indefinite leave to remain costs each applicant £3,029, an inconceivable amount for many working families as the cost of living continues to rise. With this pathway threatened, people who have spent years contributing to the UK through taxes, work, and cultural contributions, may have this pathway to security muddled with even more hurdles. 

“Scotland’s talent attraction and retention system must evolve,” Fasoro said. The assertion doubles down on the politics and debates of nepotism, skills-based hiring, AI screenings of CVs, and the bias towards Russel group grads, but is also about the systems inherent in hiring. 

The constriction of the skilled worker visa has made immigration more difficult and costly for employer and employee, making it difficult for smaller businesses to hire talented foreign workers, and placing increasing strain on immigrants attempting to bring family members with them. 

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Participants know the stats, they know the legislation, because they often live it, and knowing these things comes from experience. Time and time again at the summit it was attendees educating panellists, asking tough, pointed questions surrounding the lack of action on antiracism, the realities of immigration, and the disparity of opportunities. 

Helena Roger, executive director of Passion4Fusion and one of the hosts of the summit, spoke up after business minister Richard Lochhead MSP spoke about countless programmes meant to support diverse startups, calling for accountability. 

“We want accountability,” she said. “We need measures to know what does success look like for minority ethnic people in this country.” 

Data on this shows that ethnic minority people are consistently at a disadvantage, with the minority group 10% more likely to be working an insecure job than their white counterparts. 

Hate crime statistics are up, the business minister said, noting that the BBC Scotland’s headline of the day was about a far right group laying claim to the saltire flag. 

Lochhead said that Scotland “opens its arms to people all over the world,” but there is only so much the devolved government can do in comparison to Westminster and the Home Office. Scotland does not have its own immigration system, and it has its share of far-right rallies against asylum seekers and violent hate crimes. 

“We are living through a period of rapid change and huge, huge uncertainty. Technical disruption, the rise of AI, social media, misinformation, economic challenges, US tariffs, global upheaval, war in the middle east and Europe” – not to mention wars in Africa -” has tested institutions and society as well. 

“It has tested our sense of belonging,” Lochhead said. 

Despite these hurdles, Fasoro is determined, defiant even, in his the third and final powerful truth he shared with the audience. 

“Immigrants are here to stay; we are not leaving the UK,” he said. “We aren’t going anywhere.”

DataKirk itself is a success story, expanding its mission to provide data literacy and drive digital skills for underrepresented communities in Scotland. The firm has collaborated with the UK government, Techscaler, academic institutions and organisations to achieve this community-led initiative. Its fourth Summit is expansive, with fringe events hosted by its partners and its first ever awards nights. 

But DataKirk should not be tasked alone with this essential work. DataKirk events should not be the only events in Scotland where racism, immigration, and the UK political atmosphere are talked about candidly. 

Until the government and other organisations truly take up the mantle and act as true allies, though, DataKirk remains a vital foundational platform for diverse voices in Scotland.