Rise in full-time female workers boosts employment

A record number of women in full-time work has pushed the UK’s employment rate to a new high of 76.3%, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show. In the three months to November, 126,000 more women worked full-time compared with the previous quarter. The increase is in part because of the change in women’s retirement age. The … Read More

Progress on equality slammed as ‘dismally slow’ after gender pay gap rises

Progress on Britain’s gender pay gap for full-time workers has been blasted as ‘dismally slow’ after new data showed the gap has increased. It now stands at 8.9% for full-time employees, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The latest figure compares with 8.6% last year, which was the lowest since records began in 1997 – when the pay gap … Read More

Closing the gender pay gap is top priority for majority of UK firms

Research follows new government guide to help analyse pay gaps, but expert says more attention is needed on bonuses. Companies have made reducing their gender pay gap a top priority since the introduction of gender pay reporting in 2017, according to new research commissioned by the Government Equalities Office (GEO).  Almost seven in 10 (69 per cent) employers now view … Read More

Was 2018 positive for diversity and inclusion?

The news has been filled with negative headlines, but the workplace can be a catalyst for change, says Stephen Frost. This has been an important year for diversity and inclusion (D&I), and we have seen a number of key issues come to a head. First, and perhaps most notably, transparency has emerged as both a complement and an alternative to … Read More