Business in the Community (BITC), the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, has urged employers to address outdated recruitment practices to tap into more diverse pools of talent, including those who are disabled, those with prior criminal convictions and younger and older workers. The call to action comes as analysis shows that there are 3.1 million people in the UK who could fill the UK’s record 1.2 million live vacancies if employers took action to recruit more inclusively.

With a third of the UK’s working age population made up of people between the ages of 16-24 and 50-65 and one in five adults of working age in the UK reported to have a disability, employers must consider how their recruitment policies could lead to them missing out on more people applying for available positions. An organisation made up of a diverse workforce can utilise employees’ different perspectives when developing new or improved products and services, creating new market opportunities and broadening the organisation’s customer base. In order to achieve this, employees need to feel that their point of view is valued in the organisation. When employees with different backgrounds and perspectives come together, they come up with more solutions, which leads to more informed and improved decision-making processes and results.

BITC’s Opening Doors campaign aims to make two million jobs more inclusive by 2025, by ensuring that employers work with a wider pool of diverse and disadvantaged jobseekers. The campaign’s five-point plan calls for employers to:

1. Create partnerships which connect people from disadvantaged groups to their jobs.
2. Show candidates that they’re committed to inclusion.
3. Make sure job descriptions and adverts are comprehensive and use inclusive language.
4. Focus on the essential skills and capabilities that are needed to do the job.
5. Prioritise accessibility and eliminate bias.

Nicola Inge, Employment and Skills Director at Business in the Community, said:

“[This] campaign calls on employers to take five steps to open doors to those who experience more barriers than most when trying to seek employment. By eliminating practices that exclude or deter jobseekers, employers could better connect with a diverse talent pool of over three million people. With job vacancies at an all-time high, and many businesses struggling to fill roles across a number of sectors, our campaign aims to solve two big societal problems. What we need to see now is a high take-up rate from employers up and down the country, so that obstructive recruitment practices are removed from the job market as soon as possible.”

Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP said:

“Everyone deserves the chance to find a good job and get set up for their future. The Opening Doors campaign by BITC is a great start to making sure we have a diverse and inclusive workforce. Through our Way to Work campaign we are boosting our jobs-led recovery, using our vast network of Jobcentres and the expertise of our DWP Work Coaches to connect employers with ready-to-work candidates faster than ever before. I would urge all businesses to get in touch with their local Jobcentre and harness the bolstered package of support available to get quality candidates into their roles.”