UK utilities still white, male, straight and able

The UK utility sector is "still white male-dominated' and "more work is required to attract, retain, and develop diverse talent'" according to the 2022 Inclusion Measurement Framework results reported by Energy and Utility Skills (EUS).

In the third of its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion reports, EUS showed that last year, the number of women in the utility workplace fell by 2% to 26% "well below the 48% representation of women in the UK workforce". And EUS reported "a high representation of people from ethnic minorities among leavers" and warned this was "a significant risk to the sector".

At 3%, the presence of people at leadership levels in the sector found in the survey by the employer-led organisation "reflects the low representation overall" of the LGBTQ+ community in utilities.

And the report revealed "a significant underrepresentation of disabled people working in the sector," at only 2% of the organisations participating in compared with 17% of the total UK workforce.The report provides five recommendations for action by the sector:

• review current recruitment practices;

• targeted development programmes;

• build trust in data gathering to reduce undeclared and “prefer not to say”;

• leaders must own accountability for equality, diversity, and inclusion and culture improvements; and

• investigate disproportionate representation of particular groups in leavers. 

Registration for the 2023 Inclusion Measurement Framework opens today (11 September) and runs to 13 October.