Profession stacked against those with working class backgrounds, say AA readers
Whether systemically or as a result of unconscious bias, people with working class backgrounds are excluded from the best jobs
Whether systemically or as a result of unconscious bias, people with working class backgrounds are excluded from the best jobs
PEOPLE with working class backgrounds are being excluded from the profession, whether systemically or as a result of unconscious bias, according to a poll of 746 Accountancy Age readers.
The UK’s top accounting firms were accused in June of “systematically” excluding people with working class backgrounds from the best jobs by the government’s social mobility watchdog.
Alan Milburn, chairman of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission, had accused firms of imposing a “poshness test” effectively preventing applicants with working class backgrounds from entering the profession.
Milburn’s was supported by 42% of AA readers, who said that recruitment criteria are defined by factors skewed towards a privileged background. A further 20% of respondents suggested there is an “unconscious bias” towards those from a privileged background
Around a third of respondents defended the profession, with 22% of the view that many firms have already made big commitments to recruit the best applicants, regardless of background. Sixteen percent said profession champions all forms of diversity, whether class, race or gender.
More about:
The numbers you crunch tell a story. Your expertis...
9yEmbracing user-friendly AP systems can turn the tide, streamlining workflows, enhancing compliance, and opening doors to early payment discounts. Read...
View articleOrganisations can enhance their financial operations' efficiency, accuracy, and responsiveness by adopting platforms that offer them self-service cust...
View articleIn a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...
View resourceDiscover how AP dashboards can transform your business by enhancing efficiency and accuracy in tracking key metrics, as revealed by the latest insight...
View articleFollowing the release of the Brydon report, in which Sir Donald Brydon has made 64 recommendations on how to improve the troubled UK audit industry, A...
View articleAccountancy is not fit for purpose in the 21st Century, according to Professor Richard Murphy. Here he discusses his vision for the future of accounta...
View articleBDO continue their upwards journey as they appoint a new audit partner in their Nottingham office Read More...
View articleRichard Houston will take over from David Sproul on 1 June 2019 as the new chief executive for Deloitte NWE Read More...
View articlePaul Finnegan joins the Top 50 firm Lubbock Fine as it prepares for its next phase of development and expansion Read More...
View articleIn our new day-in-the-life series, we find out what accountants in practice and industry get up to on a typical day Read More...
View articleAcross the firm’s entire workforce, including partners, PwC reports a mean gender pay gap of 43.8% Read More...
View articleWe are likely to see Sproul leading Deloitte in even more growth this year as well as making changes to embrace technology and the changing role of th...
View article