Lewis Silkin improves ranking in Social Mobility Employer Index 2021 and is again recognised as a Top 75 employer

The Social Mobility Employer Index was created by the Social Mobility Foundation in 2017 and ranks UK employers on the action they take to improve social mobility. It highlights the employers who are doing the most to change how they find, recruit, and advance talented employees from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Now in its fifth year the Employer Index is the definitive benchmark of organisations committed to improving social mobility in the workplace.

Employers are assessed across seven key areas. These areas cover:

• Work with young people
• Routes into the employer
• Attraction
• Recruitment and selection
• Data collection
• Progression, culture and experienced hires
• Advocacy

This year 203 employers (compared with 119 employers in 2020), entered the Index. In addition to the employer responses, over 12,600 employees also took part in a voluntary employee survey. 

Lewis Silkin has been recognised for the work we do to tackle this issue, ensuring we enable those from lower socio-economic backgrounds to succeed in legal careers. Measures taken to improve social mobility include Initiatives such as the hiring of apprentice lawyers, our commitment to the PRIME scheme, outreach work in social mobility coldspots, and mentoring of young people.

Richard Miskella, Joint Managing Partner, said:

“I’m very pleased with the progress that we have continued to make. It’s been a real team effort, with individuals from across the firm leading on new initiatives to help improve social mobility. The feedback from the Social Mobility Employer Index has been invaluable and really helped us target our efforts.

We will improve and expand our successful initiatives including the hiring of apprentice lawyers, our commitment to the PRIME scheme, outreach work in social mobility coldspots, and mentoring of young people. I’m pleased that the hard work that goes into developing these schemes and our social mobility agenda has been recognised.“

Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, said:

“Congratulations on making it into the list of Top 75 employers in the 2021 Social Mobility Employer Index. The Top 75 recognises the organisations that are taking the most action to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds.”

Notes to editors

About the Social Mobility Foundation 

The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity that aims to make practical improvements in social mobility for young people from low-income backgrounds through its Aspiring Professional Programme, its Social Mobility Employer Index, and its advocacy and campaigning arm, the Department for Opportunities (DO).  

Currently taking on a new cohort of over 2,000 young people every year, the SMF has offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle and runs programmes for young people from the Isle of Wight to the Western Isles of Scotland across 11 career sectors (Accountancy, Architecture, Banking & Finance, Biology & Chemistry, Business, Engineering & Physics, Law, Media & Communications, Medicine, Politics, and Digital).

About the Social Mobility Employer Index

The Social Mobility Employer Index was launched in 2017 and has grown to become the leading authority on employer-led social mobility. It assesses and ranks UK employers on the actions they take to ensure they are open to talent from all social backgrounds.

The Social Mobility Employer Index is comprised of two elements: questions directed at employers, and an employee survey which was introduced in 2018. Employers are evaluated across seven areas: their work with young people, routes into the employer, the attraction of staff, recruitment and selection, data collection, progression of staff and experienced hires and advocacy. The employee survey adds qualitative insights and contextualises the data provided in the employer submissions. Employers are then benchmarked against one another based on the results. The data and insights from this process are published in an annual Key Findings Report which features a ranking of the 75 top-performing employers on social mobility that year.