Co-op today reveals that seven in ten (70%) people from a lower socioeconomic background may be missing out on career or educational opportunities due to their background – a total of 7.42 million people across the UK. This is equivalent to the population of Scotland and Northern Ireland combined.
The research found that as a result, over a quarter (27%) are downplaying or hiding their background in a job interview or in the workplace, exposing the persistent social stigma they face.
Younger generations are being hit the most, with the figures rising to 82% and 39% respectively for 16-34 year olds. The Social Mobility Commission’s latest report has found that the disadvantage gap index at age 16 years has widened further and is the largest gap since the 2011 to 2012 academic year.
Co-op is calling on the Government and businesses to take action on social mobility which, according to its recent report The Opportunity Effect commissioned with Demos, could create at least £200bn in extra GDP growth for the UK economy in the next 10 years.
The research revealed the top ten barriers’ individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds say they face in moving up the social and economic ladder:
- Lack of access to financial support for further education and training (21%)
- Lack in confidence or sense of belonging in certain work environments (19%)
- Cost of relocating for better opportunities (17%)
- Cost of accessing unpaid internships or work experience (14%)
- Growing up in a region with fewer opportunities (13%)
- Limited access to career advice or mentorship (10%)
- Limited access to professional networks or contacts (9%)
- Cost of appropriate clothing or resources for interviews or work events (9%)
- Not being able to relate to the lived experiences of colleagues (e.g., holidays, hobbies like skiing) (6%)
- Experiencing bias or discrimination in the recruitment process due to socioeconomic background (6%)
Ishitha Islam, 21, from London said: “Growing up in a family without formal qualifications, entering the workforce was a daunting thought. I still feel like I don’t fit in at prestigious organisations because there is no one like me reflected in the higher ranks – something that is backed up by the statistics. While we’ve made steps in this country towards social mobility, a broader impact still needs to be made.”
“Businesses should realise that social mobility is not a one-way street that brings benefits only to people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Hiring people from disadvantaged backgrounds can bring creative ideas, increased representation that reflects the population, and so much more.”
Claire Costello, chief people and inclusion officer at the Co-op, said: “These shocking figures show the true extent to which people are missing out on opportunities in education or at work due to their background. This should be a wake-up call to businesses and the Government. Millions of people are being held back from reaching their true potential or access the opportunities everyone deserves.
“We know that promoting social mobility isn’t just the right thing to do, but a huge economic opportunity which could boost UK GDP by billions. It is no coincidence that countries with greater levels of social mobility are much better at promoting job matching success and greater productivity. That is why the Government must make socioeconomic background a protected characteristic as a matter of urgency.”
“At Co-op, we have sought to hold ourselves to account and outlined how we will address inequality within our business. From this campaign we hope to inspire long-lasting change at a societal level, so that everyone can thrive no matter their background.”
As part of its campaign ‘Backgrounds into the Foreground’, Co-op is also calling on the Government to accelerate its commitment to make socioeconomic background the tenth protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act.
The polling is supported by analysis from the Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation Report 2024 that reveals young people from higher professional backgrounds were more than two times more likely to be studying for a degree than those from lower working-class backgrounds in 2022. The disparities widen post-higher education, as young adults from a higher professional class background are more than four times more likely to be in a higher professional occupation (32%) than those from a lower working-class background (7%)4.
