Only one water company in survey top tier for bringing on disadvantaged recruits

An assessment of UK companies' recruitment of candidates from disadvantaged groups included only one water company – Severn Trent Water – in its top 75 organisations. The companies were rated on their efforts to “make their organisation more accessible and inclusive to individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds”.

The 2023 Social Mobility Employer Index was the seventh produced by the Social Mobility Employer Foundation with 143 companies taking part according to the organiser. It said the entrants together employed more than 1m people and 75% of them were return participants.

Companies taking part in the index process were assessed under seven categories listed here.

Work with young people – “how effectively employers target young people from low socioeconomic

backgrounds and whether they offer accessible routes into their profession”.

Routes into the organisation – “steps employers take to create well-structured routes into the organisation. Having multiple routes into an organisation, such as graduate, apprenticeship and school leaver programmes, and ensuring they are truly accessible, benefits social mobility.”

Attraction – “the steps that employers take to attract diverse applicants to their schemes. Focusing on a narrow group of elite institutions, such as Russell Group universities, for graduate attraction… tends to exclude those from low socioeconomic backgrounds.”

Recruitment and selection – “the best-performing employers in the Index are using contextual recruitment, removing minimum grade requirements and providing financial support to ensure candidates from all

backgrounds have an equal chance to succeed.”

Data collection – how effectively employers collect and analyse data on the

socioeconomic profile of their workforce.

Progression, culture and experience hires – “social mobility is not just about individuals getting in, it is also about who gets on and feels like they belong in the workplace.”

Advocacy – Those who perform highly in this section are the employers who take action to engage staff, suppliers, and clients in their efforts.