About Workforce Integration Network (WIN)
The Mayor established the Workforce Integration Network (WIN) in 2018 to tackle the underrepresentation of Black and minority ethnic groups in key sectors of London’s labour market. WIN works with employers from high-growth sectors to understand the barriers to improving diversity and equality, and to identify opportunities and strategies to recruit, retain and progress a more diverse workforce. It begins from the premise that greater collaboration and data collection are the foundations of meaningful change. WIN now forms part of the Mayor’s Academies Programme.
About the Inclusive Employer Toolkits
These toolkits provide employers in key industries of London’s economy with clear steps to take to improve diversity and inclusion in their workforce. Based on original research with employees and employers in each sector, the toolkits propose steps which are specific to the current challenges and context of each sector. The toolkits specifically focus on WIN’s “priority groups”, which are those groups whose underrepresentation in the labour market WIN particularly seeks to address.
The actions proposed in the toolkits range across removing barriers to entry and facilitating engagement with underrepresented groups; ensuring workers from these groups are retained and supported to progress; building an inclusive culture; and taking steps to improve diversity and inclusion in your supplier relationships.
The GLA commissioned The Equal Group to produce these toolkits. The Equal Group is a data-driven Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) consultancy, created to help organisations in all sectors and of all sizes to build more inclusive workplaces. The Equal Group aims to be the architect of transformational EDI progress in the workplace, leveraging quantitative and qualitative data.
What is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion?
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) refers to work which seeks to improve equality of opportunity and fair treatment for all. EDI work is about removing barriers to entry and progression for groups who are at risk of discrimination or prejudice and creating a workplace environment which welcomes and supports them to succeed. Creating and implementing a clear EDI strategy is not only a question of fairness; it is also about attracting the most talented and motivated staff whatever their background and creating products and services that better reflect the needs and wants of diverse customers and service-users. In this toolkit, we primarily focus on EDI action to address race inequalities.
Priority groups of workers
The toolkits address the underrepresentation of groups which our analysis shows face amongst the highest levels of labour market inequality in London. They experience multiple levels of exclusion due to the inter-section between ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, age, disability and other characteristics. These are referred to as the “priority groups”:
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Black men aged 16 – 24 and 50+
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Black women
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Pakistani women
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Bangladeshi women
Within each of these groups, those with a disability, whether visible or hidden, and people from the C2, D and E socio-economic groups are a particular priority.
Although designed to specifically address workforce barriers faced by the Priority Groups, many of the interventions can be tailored to assist other groups of people or be used more generally to increase diversity and inclusion in your organisation.
London is one of the most diverse cities in the world, but it also has significant inequalities, especially in terms of access to skills and labour market opportunities. For example, employment rates vary considerably by parental status, qualification and skills level, ethnicity, gender, age, disability and between local areas.
Figure 2 : Working age (16-64) Employment Rates (%) for select groups in London
Source: GLA (2022) Local Skills Report
Supporting employers to take action to attract and retain people from the Priority Groups gives employers access to talented people who may otherwise face significant workplace barriers.
Methodology
Qualitative research underpins the design of these sector-specific toolkits. This involved 48 in-depth interviews: 28 with individual Londoners and 20 with employers. The aim was to understand the barriers faced by the Priority Groups in finding employment within the four sectors and to understand the barriers employers face in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
Interviews were conducted with:
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5 employers from each of the priority sectors,
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10 Black men, 12 Black women, 4 Pakistani women and 2 Bangladeshi women,
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quotas were set to ensure the sample captured those with disabilities or health conditions, single parents and those with young children.
We also held several sessions with GLA stakeholders and employers from each sector.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the employers and employees who gave their time to contribute valuable insights, experiences and perspectives on equality, diversity and inclusion in their industry. These discussions have been integral to the development of toolkits which respond to the specific challenges in each industry. We would also like to thank the Mayor’s Academies hubs for their contributions to the content of this toolkit.