OVERVIEW
How much more likely Britain's most influential people are to have gone to fee-paying school.
The proportion of senior managers from working class families have been mocked for their accent at work.
The proportion of young people who have carried out an internship without pay.
How can we change this?
Our research has uncovered practical, evidence-based solutions to make sure all careers are open to the most talented people, regardless of their background or what school they attended.
An end to unpaid internships
An end to unpaid internships
Internships are increasingly seen as a necessary step to start a career, yet we have found that these opportunities are all too often unpaid and recruited through informal networks, effectively putting them out of reach of many low income youngsters.
Unpaid internships over 4 weeks should be banned outright, and employers should look to pay all interns conducting substantive work. This should be accompanied with better enforcement of current minimum wage legislation.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Including class in policymaking
Including class in policymaking
While in many cases the onus is on employers themselves, the government also has a role to play. Government should enact the ‘Socio-economic Duty’ clause of the Equality Act 2010, obligating public bodies to give due regard to how they can reduce the impact of socio-economic disadvantage.
They should also set up a review to evaluate adding class as a protected characteristic, which mean that negative treatment based on this characteristic would be prohibited and would result in further efforts to tackle discrimination of this kind.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Monitoring socio-economic diversity
Monitoring socio-economic diversity
Monitoring socio-economic diversity is a crucial step that employers can take to improve social mobility in their workplace. Monitoring diversity can help an organisation to identify any gaps in access or progression, which in turn can help them to target any initiatives aiming to improve diversity.
Government should make reporting of socio-economic background (measured by parental occupational class) mandatory for businesses with over 250 employees. Large employers should also measure and publish their class pay gaps.
The Sutton Trust has published step-by-step guidance for employers on how to measure socio-economic diversity in our Employer’s guide to improving social mobility in the workplace.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Careers advice
Careers advice
Good careers advice from an early age is crucial for allowing young people to make informed decisions about their next steps. This has never been more important than today, as the system is more complex to navigate with multiple education options and new career pathways. Yet we know there is a postcode lottery in the quality of guidance on offer, and those from the poorest backgrounds often have the least support.
High quality, impartial and timely careers advice should be available to young people from all backgrounds. All pupils should receive a guaranteed level of careers advice from professional independent advisers, with further support available for those facing disadvantage.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Almost half of students say they’re less likely to find a graduate job because of the pandemic.
The proportion of employers who have cancelled work experience placements last summer.
Almost half of employers think there will be fewer placements available in their businesses over the next year.
How can we change this?
Opening up opportunities
Opening up opportunities
The pandemic has had a serious impact on Britain’s job market. With fewer opportunities available, the pandemic is likely to have a considerable effect on access to the workplace. A recession also risks increasing the number of unpaid internships on offer, with disadvantaged young people less able to work for free.
Employers should redouble their efforts to open up opportunities during this time. This can be achieved through contextual recruitment practices, paying and openly advertising internships and monitoring the socioeconomic diversity of the workforce. Detailed advice on actions employers can take can be found in our employer’s guide.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Online experience
Online experience
Employers should work to keep the pipeline into their industry open, including where possible moving experiences online. Where internships, work experience placements or recruitment processes are moved online, employers should ensure they remain accessible, for example by providing tech equipment if needed. Interns and those doing placements should still be paid for their time, ideally at the Living Wage.
The move to online working presents opportunities for social mobility as well as challenges. When moving recruitment online, employers should use the opportunity to reach large numbers of young people without geographical restrictions and reach a wider pool of talent.
SOCIAL MOBILITY IN THE WORKPLACE: AN EMPLOYER’S GUIDE (2020)
Read our free guide on how to improve socio-economic diversity within your organisation.
The Sutton Trust Pathways programmes give young people the skills, network, and opportunities to explore and break into their dream job.
