Department for Education 18th on Social Mobility Employers Index

The Department for Education has been named by the Social Mobility Foundation as 18th in the Social Mobility Employers Index for 2018.

The Top 50 UK employers who have taken the most action on social mobility in the workplace were announced in what is believed to be the world’s only Social Mobility Employer Index.

The Index is the creation of the Social Mobility Foundation and is published in partnership with sponsors the City of London Corporation. It ranks the UK’s employers on the actions they are taking to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds.

This year it finds having a workforce that is diverse in terms of social background is fast becoming as important to employers as being diverse in terms of gender and race.

Research has consistently shown that people from more affluent backgrounds take a disproportionate number of the best jobs and that employers tend to disproportionately employ graduates who went to private schools and a small number of universities.

The Social Mobility Employer Index is a voluntary and free of charge survey that assesses employers across seven areas, including the work they do with young people, their recruitment and selection processes and how people from lower income backgrounds progress within their organisations.

The final rankings are listed here, with all participating employers receiving a report with recommendations of areas for improvement.