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<p>This government believes the circumstances of one's birth should not determine
life outcomes. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC), an independent body sponsored
by the Equality Hub in the Cabinet Office, works to achieve this aim.</p><p>The Commission’s
employer engagement team works with employers of varying size, across multiple sectors,
to create more inclusive and diverse socio-economic workforces. Through their research
and engagement with industry trade bodies and employers, and external diversity and
inclusion research, they have produced guidance for employers that offers practical
help and ideas. This includes guidance on how employers can collect the socio-economic
background data of their workforce alongside other diversity data, which can be used
by them to measure the socio-economic background of their employees and potential
recruits in order to understand if their hiring or progression practices are as fair
and meritocratic as they can be.</p><p>The SMC's advice is for employers to collect
anonymous data from their workforce, apprentices and applicants using the key question
"What was the occupation of your main household earner when you were about aged
14?" Optional supplementary questions include the type of school attended for
ages 11-16 and eligibility for Free School Meals. Further information is available
in their <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/socio-economic-diversity-and-inclusion-employers-toolkit"
target="_blank">employers' toolkit</a>.</p><p>The current approach encourages the
collection of data on a voluntary basis, as a mandatory approach would represent a
significant burden on employers.</p>
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