The Top 75 UK employers in 2020 who have taken the most action on social mobility in the workplace have been announced. Now in its fourth year, the Employer Index has become the leading authority on employer best practice in the field of social mobility.
The Index is the creation of the Social Mobility Foundation and ranks the UK’s employers on the actions they are taking to access and progress talent from all backgrounds. It highlights the employers doing the most to change the way they find, recruit and progress talented employees from different social class backgrounds.
Employers are assessed across seven key areas, including their work with young people, routes into the company, how they attract talent, recruitment and selection, and progression. This year 125 employers from 18 sectors were considered for the Top 75 rankings.
PwC retained its position as the UK’s number one social mobility employer, having demonstrated continuous improvement over the past year. Measures taken by PwC included increasing the variety of routes for people of all backgrounds into the firm, engaging with a wide range of schools and universities across the country and, specifically, providing both employment and schools outreach in Bradford – a government identified social mobility Opportunity Area.
This year PwC has adapted the ways it supports social mobility in the wake of COVID-19. By responding quickly PwC was able to mitigate some of the impact the crisis could have on its employees, new starters, apprentices and potential hires. PwC were quick to create accessible, virtual alternatives that delivered similar experiences and benefits as in person programmes, and filled support gaps created by the crisis in skills training, career development, recruitment and mental health support.
A total of 119 employers who employ over 1.1 million people in the UK across 18 different sectors took part in this year’s Index, answering around 100 questions across 7 key areas.
The full list can be viewed here.
