The UK built environment diversity survey also found that it is over six times harder for ethnic minorities to be hired over their white counterparts
Working in collaboration with the Supply Chain Sustainability School’s Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) Programme, the Sustainability Tool has released the findings of their diversity survey, which consulted more than 526,000 individuals across the built environment in the UK.
2023’s survey covered 526,415 employees across 537 supply chains of eight major companies and two membership organisations and saw a substantial increase in participation.
The inclusion of contributions from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) played a significant role in this expansion, with a 55% surge in employees covered and a remarkable 99% rise in participating companies compared to 2022.
Women’s presence in the industry has increased to nearly a third
Attributed to the increase in participating organisations, particularly Tier 1, the percentage of women in the built environment industry rose from 23% in 2022 to 29.1% in 2023. This was the most significant rise observed in the survey in seven years.
Sectors leading this positive shift include central government, rail, and facilities management, all surpassing the industry benchmark value of 29.1%.
Findings from the survey assist the built environment sector’s commitment to promoting diversity, equality and inclusion through establishing benchmarks and highlighting areas requiring action for industry-wide progress.
Key findings from the 2023 survey on diversity in the built environment:
- Ethnicity: Despite constituting 52.5% of industry applicants, the representation of ethnic minority groups in the workforce decreased year-on-year slightly to 13.6%, trailing 5% below the ONS UK population average.
- Attraction and Recruitment: The application to hiring ratio was notably higher for ethnic minority groups (90:1) compared to white applicants (28.4:1), on average making it three times as challenging to secure a job this year. Depending on background, ethnic minority groups found it between 1.2 to 6.4 times harder to be hired than their white counterparts.
- Disability: Persistent data gaps exist around disability, with 35.2% of respondents’ data not being collected. The ‘prefer not to say’ option increased from 3.2% to 6.5% this year.
- Sexual orientation: While disclosure is increasing, only 2.04% of employees identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, below the ONS UK population average of 3.14%. The survey now includes pansexual, asexual and queer categories to align with census data.
Pay gaps have also been highlighted as an area for more attention
Cathryn Greville, head of Fairness, Inclusion and Respect at Supply Chain Sustainability School, said: “The survey demonstrates the critical importance of quality data in addressing equity, diversity and inclusion issues across the built environment sector.
“Without relevant data, organisations simply cannot identify, understand and address the real issues they face in their businesses and supply chains, and they cannot track the success of any initiatives put in place to make the workplace more inclusive and successful.”
Belinda Blake, senior policy advisor – Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at National Highways, said: “By assessing our workforce against sector benchmarks and ONS UK population statistics, we gather valuable insights that enable us to create a targeted roadmap for improvements.
“This annual data capture exercise is also instrumental in reinforcing the built environment sector’s dedication to diversity, equality, and inclusion. The report offers essential data, serving as a foundation for setting benchmarks and driving progress across the industry. Together, we hold the power to ignite positive change, guiding the sector towards a future that is more equitable and diverse.”
The Diversity Survey is set to reopen in March 2024, allowing anyone in the built environment to participate anonymously for free.
