Produced by the Social Mobility Foundation, a charity that supports high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds in their attempts to access some of the UK’s top universities and careers, the index measures organisations’ performance across key areas of social mobility.
Index entrants are rigorously assessed on the steps they are taking to ensure that their workplace is open to talent from all social backgrounds. There are eight key areas for assessment.
These assessment areas measure how effectively employers are targeting young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and how they are using attraction activity to reach the same young people whilst also looking at the structure of routes to employment.
The Social Mobility Foundation also pay progression and retention of employees from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and the strategies put in place to create an inclusive environment for all.
At the top of this year’s list, Browne Jacobson and PwC share the top spot, with Magic Circle law firms Slaughter and May and Linklaters leading the way for the legal industry in the 5th and 6th spots.
On the chambers side of the profession, London-based Radcliffe chambers were the only set to feature on this year’s list, coming in at 38th, climbing 24 places from their 62nd finish in last year’s edition.
Radcliffe took to social media, stating:
“This achievement reflects our commitment to creating opportunities and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, regardless of their background. As the only chambers ranked in this index, we recognise the importance of continuing to champion diversity, equity, and inclusion at the Bar.
“Together, we will keep breaking barriers and striving for equal opportunities for all.”
Alongside the release of the this year’s index, the Social Mobility Foundation is urging the government to require firms with more than 250 employees to collect and report data on the socioeconomic background of their staff.
CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, Sarah Atkinson, believes that making class data tracking mandatory would aid businesses in understanding their workforce and begin to break down barriers to entry. She said:
“Large employers are now expected to track gender pay gaps and they will need to do the same for ethnicity and disability very soon. There’s no good reason why they can’t report on class differences within their organisations.
“The Social Mobility Commission has shown how to measure this data. Our Employer Index shows it’s the norm for dozens of great companies to do this. It’s business as usual.”
You can view the full 2024 Index here.
As the new year begins, a wave of aspiring legal minds are gearing up for the commencement of pupillage applications—a defining moment in their pursuit of a career at the bar...
