Jobcentre Plus

Having a diverse workforce could help boost sales and attract recruits according to new research conducted for Jobcentre Plus (1). According to the research one in two (56%) customers would be more likely to use a business they knew to have a diverse workforce, and the vast majority of the 2,000 respondents (79%) think it is important for businesses to have such a policy in place.

The research revealed that employees and customers alike think employers could be doing more to attract people from different backgrounds - in particular disabled, female, ethnic and older workers - with one in two claiming businesses should be more proactive in improving workforce diversity.

There are signs that employers are becoming more willing to recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds or socially excluded groups. Jobcentre Plus' latest annual employer survey revealed more than half of employers (58%) claim to currently employ people from groups who traditionally find it harder to get jobs such as lone parents, the long-term unemployed, or those from ethnic minorities(2).

Jobcentre Plus works closely with employers of all sizes and sectors to encourage them to open up employment opportunities to under-represented groups. Last year more than 100,000 disabled and over 170,000 ethnic minority customers were helped into work through New Deal, while there are more than 200,000 extra people aged 50 and over in work this year compared to last.

The issue is particularly challenging for smaller businesses which employ fewer employees and so may have less scope for diversifying their workforce. Jobcentre Plus can help by advising smaller businesses on recruitment best practices and offering HR expertise which many do not possess in-house.

Commenting on the findings, Lesley Strathie, Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus said, "Creating diverse workforces is about more than just legislative compliance and corporate responsibility - it's about better business. This research proves to employers that being committed to diversity is not a business choice, but a business imperative. Customers and employees want to shop and work in environments which reflect their local communities; by broadening the scope of their recruitment base, employers can plug skills gaps, improve retention and increase productivity.

"Jobcentre Plus can help businesses do just that by providing access to the largest and most diverse labour pool in the UK and advising on how to ensure diversity is an integral part of ongoing recruitment. "

In association with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, Jobcentre Plus has created a Diversity toolkit to help recruiters, large and small, understand the issues involved in recruiting a diverse workforce. It provides information on the business case for diversity, a set of questions for consideration so that employers can assess their own position, and an action plan. As part of the toolkit, Jobcentre Plus also introduced the Diversity Pledge: a simple statement of intent for employers to commit to developing better diversity knowledge, follow best practice and embed diversity within all their recruitment practices. For further information please visit: www.rec.uk.com/diversity.

Notes to editor
1. The survey was conducted between 1st- 5th November by ICM research amongst 2,014 respondents - of these 1,119 were in current full or part time employment.
2. The Jobcentre Plus annual employer survey is a quantitative survey of a representative random sample of 4,542 GB employers and was carried out between November 2005 and January 2006 by IFF Research Limited.
3. Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, brings together employment and benefit services for people of working age and is a key element in the Government's objectives to help people based on 'Work for those who can, support for those who cannot'. It provides a professional and modern service to meet the diverse needs of employers and those seeking work, including:

• Personal advisers to provide practical support and advice to help those in need find and keep work, including training provision and benefits guidance
  
• A dedicated service to support employers in filling their vacancies quickly and successfully, including the ability to place jobs online
  
• Ability to search for jobs both online and over the phone through Jobpoints in Jobcentre Plus offices, the Jobseeker Direct phone line and through the website
  
• Swift, secure and professional access to benefits for those entitled to them.
  4. Customers can access Jobcentre Plus services through around 1,000 locations across Great Britain, including over 800 newly refurbished Jobcentre Plus offices. Touch-screen terminals and Customer Access Phones are also available in a further 120 sites such as libraries and local authority premises. Jobcentre Plus works with over 275,000 employers to place 17,000 people into work every week. Over 400,000 vacancies are listed each week on its website and more than 4m job search requests are received, making it the number one UK recruitment website.
  5. Further information on the services that Jobcentre Plus provides employers and people of working age can be found in this website.

For further information including regional breakdowns of the research, case studies including B&Q and Morrisons and a factsheet on how Jobcentre Plus can help employers with diversity, please contact Siobhan Gilheany, Melissa Annetts, Carolyn Gater, Abigail Tye on 020 7839 4321.

DWP Press Office
Out of Hours: 07659 108883
Textphone: 020 7238 0788
Public Enquiries: 020 7712 2171
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk