The role of employers and workplace practices in social mobility

It is important to everyone that employers, when they are recruiting into their business, or supporting employees to develop their careers, choose the best candidates, irrespective of their socio-economic background.

The Role of Employers and Workplace Practices in Social Mobility looks at the evidence of how employers and workplace practices can influence socio-economic inequalities in the workplace and social mobility in the UK. It reviews the strengths and limitations of different measures of socio-economic background that employers can use to monitor their workforce.

This review was commissioned by the Social Mobility Commission and conducted by Professor of Human Resource Management Mark Williams of the Queen Mary Business School.

Key findings

• While employers have always played an important role in social mobility, there is relatively little systematic evidence of the role of employers and workplace practices in shaping social mobility in the UK.
• Employers are increasingly collecting data on the socio-economic background of their workforces and potential applicants. However measurement of socio-economic background remains a challenge. Parental occupation is the most commonly used and is the strongest indicator, though it is not without limitations.
• There is mixed limited evidence that factors such as accent bias, or social and cultural factors are drivers of different treatment.

Recruitment, pay-setting and progression

• Pay disparities clearly exist, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds earn less than those from other backgrounds within the same types of role and these differences cannot be fully explained by observable characteristics.
• Socio-economic background also affects career progression, with those from lower backgrounds taking longer to advance to senior levels and having unequal access to professional networks.

Read the Role of Employers and Workplace Practices in Social Mobility.