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Latest in the Region: UK

52% of recruitment agencies concerned with IR35 reforms

  • UK

65% of agencies expecting to place more applicants this year

According to research by by digital payroll solution for contractors, Cool Company, talent shortages were one of the greatest recruitment agency challenges of 2022. More than a third (39%) of the recruitment agencies involved in the research, cited lack of applicant talent as causing problems in 2022. With a further 20% saying that they believe the same problem will cause issues this year.

Surveyed recruiters highlight other concerns such as the demand for higher salaries, which proved challenging for 39% of recruiters in 2022 and is a concern for 14% in 2023. While a further 39% said that attracting the right candidates was a difficulty last year, but is less of a concern this year. With more recruiters worrying about the ability to hire quickly (15%) and the cost-of-living crisis/inflation (14%) in 2023.

Following the difficulties surrounding IR35 reforms during the last two years, compliance also remains a point of unease. With 52% of recruitment agencies either somewhat or very concerned and 43% of agencies saying that IR35 compliance has caused them difficulties when recruiting for contract positions.

However, for most (85%) the outlook for 2023 is positive, with 65% of agencies expecting to place more applicants this year and 74% saying that it’s either likely or very likely that they will grow their team in 2023.

Kris Simpson, Country Manager UK at Cool Company, commented: “2022 raised a range of difficulties for recruiters. With economic instability, and the global talent shortage creating unfillable vacancies. But while this problem may have previously been remedied by outsourcing, difficulties with navigating IR35 legislation has obviously impacted that process.

As we settle into 2023, talent acquisition remains a concern for many businesses, recruiters are up against it, matching applicants who expect higher pay with businesses looking to reduce overheads. However, despite the challenges, it is encouraging to see such optimism in the sector.”

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Understanding Recruitment Group gives staff 60% stakeholder in business

The structure of the board will remain unchanged

Specialist technology software recruitment consultancy Understanding Recruitment Group has formalised its move to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), making its staff a 60% stakeholder in the business.

A company statement said: “This decision has been made to connect the long-term future of the employees with the long-term future of the group, while also protecting and enhancing the business culture that has been at the core of their success.”

This will involve a range of six to seven-figure pay-outs.

Understanding Recruitment is based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and specialises in technology sectors including software engineering, DevOps and artificial intelligence, as well as its Understanding Solutions business, specialising in Statement of Work (SoW).

In its Boston, US location, the Understanding Recruitment Group operates under Acceler8 Talent, specialising in emerging tech roles across hardware acceleration, software engineering, AI, machine learning and photonics.

The structure of the board will remain unchanged with Chris Jackson as CEO and Dale Swords as chief operating officer.

Chris Jackson, CEO at Understanding Recruitment Group commented: “Dale and I could not be prouder of the achievements and incredible performances we have witnessed especially over the past couple of years. The way the business rallied together and fought through the challenges of Covid was inspirational.

“It made us stronger and more resolute as an organisation, and built a foundation for us to go on gaining an even deeper presence within our specialist markets across not only the UK and US but also more recently on a wider global basis. I would like to thank Suzy Bolton [CFO] for being a key driver in making this happen along with the other group directors, as well as [accountants] Grant Thornton and [law firm] Osborne Clarke.”

This sentiment is rising trend in the recruitment industry, with recruitment company SF Recruitment completing a 1.2m investment in 2021 which saw both its management team become owners in the business, and every employee given a stake in the future profits of the company.

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Neurodiversity in Business launches new free recruitment tool

  • UK

It empowers corporates to take action towards truly inclusive workplaces

Neurodiversity in Business (NiB) has announced the launch of its new ND Resource Hub Tool, which provides quick, single-point access to reliable, expert neurodiversity (ND) resources. The ND Resource Hub is said to help organisations advance their ‘Neurodiversity at Work’ programmes and is free for everyone to use.

According to NiB, The ND Resource Hub includes best practice materials from ND experts, advocates, and partners that were reviewed and vetted by NiB’s team of volunteers, many of whom are members of the neurodivergent community.

The tool features accessible, intuitive navigation and filtering and is designed to be responsive to the needs of both corporates and ND employees. It includes a collaboration mechanism to encourage the ND community to submit more best practice resources, furthering knowledge sharing on the topic of neuroinclusion.

Dan Harris, NiB CEO and Founder commented: “Through the ND Resource Hub, we are pleased to provide a single point for organisations of all sizes to find the expert information they need to support neuroinclusive workplaces. The ND Resource Hub drives awareness, understanding about neurodiversity with both general knowledge and deeper exploration into a range of key areas. It empowers corporates to take action towards truly inclusive workplaces.”

The ND Resource Hub is accessible to everyone at https://neurodiversityinbusiness.org/ndresourcehub.

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One-quarter of women experience pregnancy discrimination at work

Gender pay gap also remains an issue in the workplace

A new report by team building company Wildgoose revealed that 27% of women have pregnancy discrimination as a key concern in the workplace, highlighting the need for UK businesses to address their policies and culture.

The 2022 Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Report found that women are significantly less likely to state that their workplace is inclusive. Only 75% of female employees believe their workplace is inclusive, compared to 88% of male employees.

The areas of inclusion that companies need to focus on differ regionally. The report found that discrimination against pregnancy in the workplace, for example, insufficient maternity/paternity allowances, was most common in the East Midlands (35%).

The report surveyed employees from 133 UK workplaces, asking whether their workplace is an inclusive environment, where their organisation could improve, and whether they have experienced discrimination or inequality at work.

The report also revealed that almost one in five female respondents had experienced discriminatory behaviour in the workplace. A further 13% said their companies did not deal with the issue. Clearly, there are real flaws in the culture at many UK workplaces, where efforts are not being made to help women feel respected and safe.

Another cause for concern is the gender pay gap. More than a quarter of employees said they know they or a colleague receive less salary than someone else in the same position. Twenty-nine percent of female respondents said they experienced pay disparity in the workplace, compared to only 25% of males.

Pay inequality is more prevalent in London. The report found that employees in the North East are most likely to receive ‘pay parity’; however, 20% of people in the North East were aware of instances in their company where salaries were unequal.

Pay parity is vital in creating an inclusive workplace, whereas unequal pay causes employees to feel unrecognised for their work.

Jonny Edser, Managing Director at Wildgoose, commented: “With a potential recession around the corner, businesses will be looking to optimise performance as much as possible. One way to do this is by making sure they’re a meritocracy, where people can make the most of their abilities and rise regardless of their gender or background. By combating discrimination, they’ll also be creating a more harmonious working environment and higher job satisfaction.”

 “With so many workplaces suffering from inclusivity issues, it’s important that companies make efforts to bring their people together. We know how effective social activities can be in forming bonds between colleagues and creating a level playing field. And that has to be the aim: to make employees realise they’re all equal.”

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Financial worries affect the productivity of more than one in four

More than a quarter a seeking help to cope with stress

Financial worries are top the list of factors affecting workers’ productivity. This is according to a new survey conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The survey revealed that almost one-third of workers (approximately 8.2 million people) said they experienced low work productivity due to financial concerns. A further 31% said that they expect a similar scenario within the next year. With the country facing a massive cost of living crisis, these figures are no surprise.

According to the study, 20% of the British public (13.4 million people) were already living in poverty in 2020/21, with 7.9 million being working-age adults. The projections were also not positive. The New Economics Forum estimates that by December 2024, 43% of UK households will not be able to afford a decent standard of living.

The survey found that 40% of workers have experienced physical and mental strain due to their financial pressures a further 32% lose sleep. In addition, a quarter of respondents reported feeling depressed.

For those who are affected mentally:

  • 26% are seeking help to cope with stress
  • 20% expect to speak to a mental health professional or receive counselling
  • 19% plan to seek advice from their GP

The mental health crisis in the UK is growing, with the waiting list for mental health patients at a record 7.2 million and a waiting time of 47 weeks, according to data from October 2022.

The British public are looking for appropriate pay increases to deal with soaring prices. The respondents were asked to choose a suitable increase from 1% to 12%.

34% said a 5% pay rise sounds ‘about right’

34% felt the same about a 10% rise

People who voted for Tories in the last election found 5% to be fair (41%)

People who voted for Labour said 10% would be appropriate (43%)

Retired Brits also agreed with the 5% rise (35%)

Jonathan Merry, CEO of Moneyzine.com, commented: “The figures paint a grim picture, but also show how much employers need to rehash their duty of care policies and refine their outreach to struggling employees. Although limited in their power, firms need to keep their ends up to support their workers in these testing times.”

Read the full article here.

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TALiNT Partners’ TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards campaign is open for entries!

HR Tech market is predicted to grow to $39.9 billion by 2029

The fourth annual campaign for Europe’s TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards has been launched and recognises innovation, excellence and growth in the HR Tech and RecTech industry.

Alex Evans, Managing Director at TALiNT Partners commented: “Talent tech continues to enable the transformation of HR and Recruitment as both employers and recruiters adapt to the changing expectations of candidates, clients and their own employees. The value of the global HR Tech market is predicted to grow to $39.9 billion by 2029 – but who will lead the market and drive innovation?”

“The TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards shine a spotlight on the best solutions for employers and recruiters to enhance service and experience for candidates and contractors. This campaign recognises excellence across a spectrum of awards with a judging panel comprising buyers, investors and advisors from across the talent ecosystem to make it an award worth winning.”

The 2022 winners included Bright Network, Sonovate, Sova Assessment, Paiger, HireVue, Worksome, Eli Onboarding, Pixid, Talos360, Mercury and Eightfold AI (see who won which award and why here).

Georgios Markakis, Managing Partner at Venero Capital Advisors also commented: “Venero is proud to partner with the TIARAs and once again sponsor the Champion of Champions Award to showcase Work Tech solutions which exemplify innovation, value and impact.”

Despite high inflation and recession fears, $19.4bn was invested in HR/Rech in 2022 – the second-best year for the sector according to research from Venero Capital Advisors – with 132 deals in Europe, UK & Ireland.

Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners said: “The alumni of finalists and winners of the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards represent challengers, disruptors and transformers across a spectrum of business growth, from high potential, early-stage start-ups to scaling SMEs and established market leaders. They have validated game-changing innovation and excellent customer service with solid case studies and testimonials.

“This year we will once again celebrate the Talent Tech Stars who are championing innovation in different parts of the talent ecosystem and enabling employers and recruiters to adapt and transform. Our judges will look for good financial performance, well-executed innovation, customer service that goes beyond the norm, the best return on investment in people and profit with purpose. They will also look at their ambition, vision and the change they are championing.”

The judging process for the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards is designed around the expectations of buyers and investors, based on key performance metrics, case studies and testimonials. Our impressive and influential panel of judges from companies including LinkedIn, ManpowerGroup, Optima Corporate Finance, AMS, and Reed Talent Solutions will follow our rigorous judging process to decide the winners in 14 categories.

The entry deadline for the 2023 awards is Friday 21st April with finalists announced in early May. This year, winners will be announced at a black-tie gala dinner on Thursday 29th June at the Montcalm, Marble Arch, in London.

To find out more about this year’s award categories and to start your entry, visit https://talenttech.tiara.talint.co.uk/.

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PSR Group acquires Fintech recruitment business

Global Fintech market size is expected to reach $332.5 billion by 2028

PSR Group, a UK based recruitment specialist, announced today that it has successfully completed a strategic acquisition into the rapidly growing Fintech sector.

PCN, a fintech recruitment business with headquarters in Amsterdam, service the Fintech ecosystem including, Cybersecurity, eCommerce and SaaS sectors across the Netherlands, Germany and the US.

This investment launches PSR Group into the European market with further plans to expand across the US.

James Sanders, Managing Director of PSR Group, said: “We are delighted to have acquired PCN following a competitive process against other interested parties. Pioneers of the 4-day work week, their people-first approach has helped attract and retain a highly skilled workforce. PCN’s knowledge of the Fintech market is unrivalled, underlined by their ever-expanding and impressive client list. During the process, I spoke with numerous clients, who all highlighted the outstanding service levels supplied by PCN. The PSR business model is centred around people, focusing on personal development, wellbeing and providing support for all our staff. The businesses are very much aligned in terms of sharing similar values, this being central towards the investment. I look forward to welcoming the PCN staff into the group”.

Rogier Rouppe van der Voort, CEO of PCN said: “Venture Investment into Fintech companies in 2022 reached $81 billion, up from $20 billion in 2020. The global Fintech market size is expected to reach $332.5 billion by 2028, driven by the rapid adoption of digital services. As a recruitment agency we are in the middle of the industry and have big ambitions for PCN. We are excited to join the group and build on the wealth of knowledge already in the business. PSR’s experience of building a successful agency with over 150 employees across multiple offices and brands and being driven by a strong set of values, has given us the confidence that they are the right partners to fuel PCN’s growth ambitions”.

David Berks, Group Development Director at PSR also commented:  “The acquisition is aligned with our development strategy for the group and provides new experiences and opportunities for everyone within the business. The Senior Management team at PCN gave us great confidence in their vision of sustained growth in their current markets; this will be further fuelled by the vast experience of the contract market PSR will bring, thus offering this additional employment vehicle to clients and candidates”.

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71% of candidates drop out of recruitment experience

  • UK

Firms with slow hiring processes are losing out

According to the latest data from the ONS, the UK is still in the midst of a skills shortage, with vacancy numbers still historically high, despite signs of slowing month-on-month. However, according to a study by background screening and identity services firm, Sterling, slow hiring processes are adding to these recruitment challenges.

The data, which comes from a global survey of more than 1,200 HR professionals and perspectives from more than 3,700 recent job seekers, suggests that half of the UK’s employers can’t find enough qualified candidates for the roles they have, with almost a third (29%) revealing that their direct competitors are beating them in the race for top talent. 

The study also revealed that a significant proportion of employers are losing out to the competition due to slow hiring processes. Of the jobseekers surveyed, 71% revealed that they had either dropped out or considered dropping out of their most recent recruitment experience. The top three reasons cited for this were; the process was taking too long, it was too complicated or there were too many touchpoints. 

Steve Smith, President International at Sterling commented: “While 2022 was a year of record-breaking vacancy numbers across the UK, the war for talent is still raging on. The UK still has a low level of unemployment despite the increase noted at the end of last year and skills shortages are being reported across a range of sectors and disciplines. In this environment, employers continue to report difficulties with recruiting the right people. But our data suggests that this issue is being exacerbated by lengthy and complex hiring processes.

“A well-thought-out candidate experience is crucial at all times, though the impact is certainly more noticeable when competition for talent is rife. A robust hiring process shouldn’t create barriers for applicants. It’s crucial that employers optimise the process to streamline everything from communication requirements and screening through to on-boarding. Technology does have a role to play in achieving this. The right tech helps to automate elements of the process and speed everything up. However, for those firms turning to tech to improve efficiencies, the candidate must be front of mind. How they interact with the technology has a direct impact on their view of your employer brand. If the software being used isn’t built with the applicant in mind, candidate dropout rates will likely remain high.”

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Sectors abandoning remote work revealed

  • UK

Back to the office for many Brits

It has been almost three years of pandemic-affected work patterns, but now certain sectors are being called back to the office across sectors. This is according to new research from the job search engine Adzuna.

The research looked at jobs advertised on Adzuna between January 2020 and January 2023 and tracked the proportion of postings that specify jobs as either ‘remote,’ ‘hybrid,’ or ‘office-based’/‘on-site.’

The data revealed that remote working opportunities are dropping significantly in the Creative and Design sector, down from 22.1% in October to 16.0% this January.

The IT sector is also seeing a drop in remote opportunities, dropping to 27.9% in the last three months.

Since October, remote work is also lower in the PR and Legal sectors – down -1.5pp and -0.7pp, respectively.

In the US, this trend is even more prominent. Large employers, such as Disney and Twitter, are insisting that their workers return to the office.

The research also revealed that designated ‘office-based’ roles are growing in some sectors:

  • Scientific & QA (+1.5pp)
  • Retail (+1.1pp)
  • Travel (+0.8pp)
  • Graduate (+0.6pp)
  • Engineering (+0.6pp)

The increase in on-site graduate roles indicates the need to nurture new talent on-site and help them create work networks.

Some sectors, however, are resisting returning to the office and, instead, seeing a rise in remote job opportunities.

Top of the list is the Admin sector, with the proportion of job ads for remote roles increasing by +14.7 % between October and January 2023. At the same time, office-based admin roles have fallen -2.2%.

Many Consultancy roles are also pushing back against a return to the office, Remote opportunities are up 2.6% since October, and the proportion of on-site ads is down -2.7%.

Interestingly, remote roles within the Teaching sector are up +12.6% since October – more advisory, tutor, teaching assistant, assessor, and lecturer roles are shifting to remote work.

Across the UK, 12.1% of all UK job vacancies were listed as ‘remote’ in January 2023. A further 11.3% were labelled as ‘hybrid’ and 8.5% as ‘on-site’/‘office-based.’

The top sectors for remote working roles overall are:

  • IT (27.9% of job ads)
  • Admin (21.7% of job ads)
  • PR (20.4% of job ads)
  • Teaching (16.5% of job ads)
  • HR & Recruitment (16.1% of job ads)

Paul Lewis, Chief Customer Officer at job search engine Adzuna, comments: “To date, UK workers have been resistant to the return to the office, but as the recession bites, layoffs mount up and job opportunities slow down, refusing on-site mandates is becoming higher risk. We’re seeing employers becoming firmer on return-to-office policies, following a spate of high profile mandates led by the likes of Elon Musk. Sectors like Creative & Design and IT are slowly but surely moving back to the office, in a trend we expect to see pick up through 2023.

“But while the return-to-office may be reassuring to some employers, there are some very real downsides. Flexible working is of particular importance to women, who often shoulder the burden of caring needs on top of their jobs. Forcing women back to the office could cause some to quit, burnout, or force less productive working patterns, which will only widen existing gender divides further. It’s crucial that employers maintain flexible options for those that need it, even if mandating wider return-to-office policies.”

 

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Tech roles still top the list according to LinkedIn

A positive outlook for the tech industry in 2023

Tech roles are still in high demand. This is according to LinkedIn’s 2023 Jobs on the Rise list. The list highlights the 25 fastest-growing job titles over the past five years and the trends defining the future world of work. Machine Learning Engineers, Cloud Engineers, and other tech roles remain highly sought after.

With the rise of job cuts, this begs the question of whether the outlook is bleak for tech workers or does this list show that there are new opportunities for those with technical skills.

Tech learning platform O’Reilly looked at how to fill the demand and where the workforce is headed in 2023.

Laura Baldwin, President at O’Reilly, commented: “So much of the conversation over the last six months has been focussed on economic uncertainty and layoffs in the tech sector, and yet the recent Jobs on the Rise list from LinkedIn shows that there are many strong, in-demand tech and engineering roles. It’s refreshing to see the acknowledgement that the sky is not falling for tech workers. Every business is becoming a tech business in a sense, and the demand for skilled tech workers will continue to grow over the coming decade.

 “Business leaders need to be less focussed on the noise in the short-term and plan to set themselves up for long-term success. With the World Economic Forum and Korn Ferry both predicting significant shortages of skilled tech workers over the course of the next decade, leaders need to be focused on how they’ll be re-skilling or upskilling their teams to ensure they have the technology skills needed to keep their businesses competitive.”

 

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Talent Solutions

TALiNT Partners and Stratigens Join Forces to Revolutionize Talent Intelligence Solutions

TALiNT Partners and Stratigens are proud to announce a strategic partnership which will provide an unparalleled range of talent intelligence solutions to the needs of our members, partners and clients.

Alison Ettridge, CEO of Stratigens said “Companies do research on their customers, their markets and their competitors to inform decisions all the time. With Stratigens, they can now do research on the greatest asset –access to the workforce and people they need to deliver their strategy. Our partnership with TALiNT Partners will support our mission of putting human capital at the heart of business decision making. We are really excited about working with the team to overlay the insight that TALiNT Partners’ network brings with labour market data to empower HR, TA and business leaders to make critical strategic decisions.”

Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners added “for some time we have been looking for a partner to support the insight generated by our network with global workplace data to bring a unique offering to the market. Stratigens is the perfect partner to help us achieve this and together we look forward to continuing to help raise capability in how employers find and keep the people they need, and how staffing and talent solutions providers can better support their clients.”

About Stratigens

Stratigens software is helping the world’s best companies make smarter decisions about where to grow, who to hire from and the diversity of their workforce. We join the dots between the labour market, economics and locations. Putting human capital intelligence at the heart of decision making.

We live in a world rich with skills and geo economic data, but the data is messy, unstructured, big and in thousands of places. Stratigens uses the latest in machine learning and big data to gather, extract, categorise and label the data, and put it into a format that’s easy to digest. So our clients can make smarter, faster, more informed decisions.

Stratigens – https://www.stratigens.com

About TALiNT Partners

TALiNT Partners connects the talent ecosystem. We bring together a global network of leading employers and solution providers to make better talent and technology decisions. Providing intelligence, insight and peer-to-peer networking that drives quality, innovation and improves inclusion across the talent ecosystem

TALiNT Partners – https://talintpartners.com/

 

If you would like to know more about the partnership, please contact Ken Brotherston, CEO of TALiNT Partners, ken@talintpartners.com

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Nash Squared acquires Het Flexhuis

Acquisition strengthens Nash Squared as a major MSP

Nash Squared, a provider of talent and technology solutions, has become a major force in Managed Service Provision with its recent acquisition of Het Flexhuis – a Managed Service Provider (MSP) of talent and recruitment services based in The Netherlands.

Het Flexhuis has a strong track record in delivering outsourced recruitment services for government, public services, and commercial organisations and will operate as an independent brand within Nash Squared’s recruitment business Harvey Nash.

Bev White, CEO of Nash Squared, commented: “I am delighted to welcome Het Flexhuis into the Nash Squared family. It is our vision to help our clients access talent and technology in every way possible, and offering a high quality MSP solution is an important next step for us. Het Flexhuis brings enormous experience and expertise with them, and I am excited by the potential.”

Occo Lijding, MD of Harvey Nash The Netherlands, commented: “This represents a step change in how we can help and support our clients in talent and technology. I have long admired the team at Het Flexhuis, and when we met I was struck by how similar our values and ambitions were. They are the perfect fit for us, and I look forward to working with them.”

Frederieke Schmidt Crans, Managing Director, Het Flexhuis commented: “We are thrilled and excited to become part of Nash Squared. Our company was established ten years ago with a mission to create a world-class MSP with great people and processes at its core. We see joining Nash Squared as the natural next chapter in that success story.”

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Adzuna acquires job search engine Getwork

Search engines combine forces to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in the US

On Tuesday, 14 June, Adzuna announced their acquisition of the US job search engine Getwork.

The Getwork team, under the leadership of Brad Squibb, will be working alongside the Adzuna team, intending to accelerate Adzuna’s growth in North America.

Getwork links job seekers with vacant roles at North American companies by indexing millions of verified jobs daily directly from tens of thousands of employer career sites.

Adzuna, with headquarters in London, UK, Indianapolis, IN, and Sydney, AU, uses AI-powered technology to match people to jobs. The company has recently launched in Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, and Mexico. Their operations now cover 20 markets globally.

The two companies will operate as independent brands with their own established communities.

Doug Monro, CEO, and Co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “Adzuna acquiring Getwork will help us supercharge our growth in North America. The Getwork team’s stellar reputation for great service and delivery has led them to be trusted by an impressive roster of household name companies in the US. It’s also a great fit as their team and mission are so aligned with ours. The US enterprise market is crying out for strong alternatives to existing offerings and we’re looking forward to combining Adzuna’s marketing expertise, global footprint and programmatic job matching technology with Getwork’s deep industry knowledge and reputation to deliver even better for our customers. The US is the fastest-growing part of our business and this acquisition will accelerate our profitable growth trajectory.”

Brad Squibb, President of Getwork, comments: “Adzuna is a truly global business, operating across 20 countries, which creates an exciting opportunity for us to scale into new markets with the help of a brand that has already paved the way for international expansion. We can’t wait to join Doug and the team on this journey.”

 

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UK companies lack focus on diversity, survey reveals

Despite efforts there is still massive room for improvement in UK management and reporting

In research released today, findings reveal a lack of focus on progressing diversity in the workplace. In the study conducted by SD Worx, it was found that while 68% of UK companies are committed to removing unconscious bias in the recruitment process, many have failed to implement a reporting system to track progress on meeting ED&I objectives.

The survey revealed that only 26% of UK companies evaluate managerial commitment to achieving ED&I-related objectives. A further 32% admitted having no systems allowing employees to report discrimination.

The UK ranked third in its commitment to removing unconscious bias at 68% when it comes to ranking. Ireland ranked first at 74%, with Belgium coming in second, at 69%.

As far as rankings for equal access to training, the UK is slightly lower than other countries, with 64% of companies investing in equal access to training and development. Ireland (72%), Belgium (71%), and Poland (69%) topped the list.

While 64% of UK companies include transparency about ED&I goals and actions to attract a diverse workforce in their mission statement and corporate values, only 60% of the UK companies surveyed said that they promote ED&I in job advertisements, social media, and their websites.

The survey also revealed that countries vary in their level of focus concerning educating and involving managers in their ED&I policies. For example, in the UK, 60% of companies stated that they actively involve their managers in ED&I policies, and 60% provide internal training on the topic.

Colette Philp, UK HR Country Lead at SD Worx commented: “It’s no longer enough for businesses to say they prioritise diversity and inclusion. Instead, they must prove their commitment to achieving a more diverse workforce, both internally within their business and externally to attract talent.”

“There is more awareness than ever before regarding diversity in the workplace and it’s a deciding factor for many when it comes to searching for a role or staying with a business. A diverse workforce brings new experiences and perspectives and an inclusive environment allows individuals to thrive. If businesses aren’t already putting ED&I as a top priority, it’s essential they act now to do so.”

Jurgen Dejonghe, Portfolio Manager SD Worx Insights, added: “It’s important that companies start investing in an active reporting system about their actions concerning diversity, equality and inclusion. On the one hand, that data offers a strong basis for optimising the diversity policy with concrete and consciously controlled actions. On the other hand, such a system also provides clear evidence whether companies are effectively putting their money where their mouth is and not making false promises to (future) employees.”

For ED&I initiatives to be successful, change needs to come from the top, with proper rollouts and reporting system to track their progress.

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