In a concerning revelation, a recent survey conducted by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has unearthed a troubling lack of commitment among employers to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in their recruitment processes.

The survey, which encompassed 167 companies of varying sizes across the United Kingdom, divulged that nearly 50 percent of employers do not express interest in welcoming applications from a wide array of diverse candidates in their job advertisements.

The survey, marking the second annual inquiry of its kind, was carried out in June 2023 with the aim of evaluating the EDI measures implemented by employers during their hiring processes.

The results underline a disconcerting stagnancy in the realm of inclusive recruitment practices, raising concerns about the lack of progress made over the past year.

Only minimal efforts have been made

Neil Carberry, the Chief Executive of REC, expressed his disappointment at the minimal efforts being undertaken by companies to address the pressing issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion. While a slim majority of employers (60%) had revised the language in their job adverts to enhance inclusivity, the larger narrative remains bleak. Carberry highlighted that many employers either underestimate the significance of altering their recruitment strategies or continue to rely on outdated approaches that do not align with the current landscape.

This inaction, he emphasised, not only deprives these companies of the manifold benefits of a diverse workforce but also fails to acknowledge the amplified advantages in today’s competitive labour market.

Carberry urged organisations to be more proactive in their pursuit of inclusive hiring practices, urging them to seek guidance from professional recruitment agencies. These agencies, he suggested, can provide valuable insights into formulating and executing strategies that tap into the widest possible talent pool. The CEO emphasised the potential of inclusive companies to be more innovative, creative, and profitable, owing to their ability to attract and retain the best talents in the industry. Furthermore, as candidates increasingly seek to align themselves with organisations that contribute positively to society, effective diversity-centric hiring policies become an integral component of a company’s reputation.

The findings of the REC survey revealed several noteworthy trends:

  • Approximately 60 percent of employers had reviewed and adjusted the language in their job advertisements to foster greater inclusion. This reflects a modest increase from the previous year’s figure of 54 percent.
  • Strikingly, almost half of the participants (49%) admitted to not explicitly expressing their interest in recruiting candidates from diverse backgrounds in their job adverts. This statistic remained relatively unchanged from the previous year’s percentage of 48 percent.
  • In a discouraging regression, the number of employers opting to use name-blind curriculum vitae (CV) submissions during the selection process decreased from 53 percent in 2022 to 67 percent in the present survey.
  • Similarly, the adoption of diverse interview panels exhibited little improvement, with 56 percent of respondents not having policies in place to ensure the inclusion of panel members from varied backgrounds. This figure closely resembled the 2022 statistic of 53 percent.

Interestingly, the survey exposed a mere marginal enhancement in the performance of larger corporations (250-plus staff) compared to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A notable 41 percent of larger companies still refrained from demonstrating interest in diverse candidates through their job advertisements, while 57 percent neglected the use of name-blind CV submissions. Furthermore, a significant 48 percent did not implement diverse interview panels – all metrics that reflected a deterioration in performance compared to the previous year’s results.

As the discussion surrounding diversity and inclusion gains momentum in the corporate world, the REC’s survey underscores the critical need for concerted efforts to prioritise equal representation and varied perspectives in recruitment practices. The stagnation evident in the survey results serves as a reminder that the road to true inclusion is far from over, urging businesses of all sizes to prioritise diversity and work towards a more inclusive hiring process.

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.