‘Outdated recruitment practices’ exclude job seekers with disability, criminal record or older workers

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The London-listed company said its headcount was by 15 per cent for 2023, down by 1092 on the previous year. It noted that in total, it sits at 7859, which is down by 1161 on 2022. (Getty)
The London-listed company said its headcount was by 15 per cent for 2023, down by 1092 on the previous year. It noted that in total, it sits at 7,859, which is down by 1,161 on 2022. (Getty)

Outdated recruitment practices should be addressed to tap into more diverse pools of talent, including those who are disabled, have prior criminal convictions and younger and older workers, according to an industry group.

The call to action issued by Business in the Community (BITC) comes as analysis shows that there are 3.1m people in the UK who could fill the UK’s record 1.2m 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, the group told Morning Wire today.

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 create partnerships which connect people from disadvantaged groups to your jobs, to show candidates that you’re committed to inclusion  and to make sure job descriptions and adverts are comprehensive and use inclusive language  

Also, to focus on the essential skills and capabilities that are needed to do the job and to prioritise accessibility and eliminate bias. 

Nicola Inge, Employment and Skills Director at Business in the Community, said that “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,” Inge told Morning Wire

“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,” she added.