Unlocking Social Mobility: Why Recruiters Must Lead the Change

This is a guest blog by REC business partner Chloe Wheeler, Senior Campaigns Advisor at the Social Mobility Foundation.

 As a recruiter, you wield the incredible power to open doors and create life-changing opportunities for individuals. By recognising and understanding various biases, you can break free from conventional thinking, ensuring a diverse pool of candidates for your clients. This isn't just about filling a position; it's about transforming lives. 

The Social Mobility Foundation

We create more social mobility through the Aspiring Professionals Programme, Social Mobility Employer Index and Department for Opportunities. Join us.

The workplace is as important as the classroom for social mobility. Recruiters have a critical role to play. 

Social mobility is the connection between a person’s occupation or income and the income of their parents. It is increasingly important that recruiters are aware of social mobility and that everyone regardless of their background is given the opportunity to fulfil their full potential. 

Recruiters and hirers often subconsciously reward a person’s accent, connections and social background in the recruitment process. And many won’t be aware of the specific challenges that those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face when moving into a professional career. That’s why we run the Social Mobility Employer Index. 

The Index analyses who gets in, who gets on and who belongs in the workplace to help organisations attract, retain and progress top talent from all backgrounds. It has been the authority on employer-led social mobility since 2017. 

Yet only 1% of Index entrants last year were recruitment firms. This is concerning given that 50% of jobseekers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds feel they are missing out on employment opportunities because of unfair recruitment processes. It is crucial that recruitment agencies lead from the front with inclusive practices, especially since they recruited over half a million permanent placements in 2021/22. 

As a recruiter, you need to know that... 

Young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds find the recruitment process difficult due to a lack of knowledge. This causes them to experience feelings of imposter syndrome. Assessment centres are a particular challenge as they often don’t know people that have been through the process, so they have no idea about what to expect and how to succeed. In addition, it has become common for graduates to boost their chances of success in the competitive jobs market by studying for additional qualifications or taking part in poorly paid or unpaid internships. These opportunities are not equally available to all. This ‘credential inflation’ or ‘qualification creep’ can drastically reduce the amount of socioeconomic diversity in organisations. 

To support more diverse candidates, recruitment businesses you should... 

Enter the Index. Recruiters can lead from the front and show their clients that they are aligned on issues that are important to them. Given that a third of Index entrants have social mobility targets, there is no time like the present to learn how to help them achieve their ambitions to increase socioeconomic diversity in their firms. Otherwise, they may take their business elsewhere. 

Organisations that enter get a bespoke feedback report with advice on how to improve their practices. This includes practical, evidence-based advice on how to yield better results in outreach, attraction, recruitment and progression. 93% of entrants last year told us they entered because the feedback helps them improve their organisation, proving its value in creating more inclusive organisations. By improving your own practices through advice and feedback from the Index, you’ll be able to better serve your clients. 

We understand you might be concerned about how you’ll perform. That’s why organisations have the option to remain anonymous. The first entry may reveal uncomfortable truths that are difficult to face – but it will set you on the path to achieving greater social mobility for yourself and for your clients. Last year, 4 in 5 Index entrants had entered before, showing that regardless of where you are on your social mobility journey, the Index can help.  

Socioeconomic background is often the forgotten dimension of diversity. We need to change that. Recruiters are critical in achieving this mission and have a lot to gain from accessing a wider pool of talented candidates. If we work together, we can move the dial on social mobility.  

To find out more, listen to Sarah Atkinson and Neil Carberry talk about the recipe for inclusive recruitment here. 

If you have any questions, please email employerindex@socialmobility.org.uk.