Energy & Utility Skills report highlights inclusion challenges

A new report from Energy & Utility Skills highlights both progress and ongoing challenges in improving equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across the energy and utilities sector. The Inclusion Measurement Framework 2024 marks the fifth year of tracking diversity characteristics, workforce trends, and leadership representation.

Key findings

• Gender Representation: Women’s promotions have increased from 26% to 33% over three years, but they still make up just 28% of the workforce—a slight decline from last year.
• Ethnicity in Leadership: Ethnic minority representation remains low at 7% of leadership roles, despite recruitment rates exceeding their current workforce proportion.
• Ageing Workforce: With 20% of employees nearing retirement, workforce renewal is crucial. However, the 26–35 age group continues to see the highest turnover since 2021.
• Disability and Social Mobility: Just 3.4% of employees have declared a disability, compared to 18% in the wider UK workforce, and there are concerns about limited socio-economic diversity in leadership.
• EDI Commitment: 98% of leaders report understanding their role in promoting diversity, though challenges remain in attracting diverse candidates to senior roles.

Recommendations for the sector

The report calls for:

• Better retention strategies, including improved exit interviews.
• Transparent recruitment monitoring, particularly for ethnic minority applicants.
• Greater leadership diversity, with structured pathways for progression.
• Collaboration across organisations to share best practices.

With over 200,000 new roles needed by 2030 to meet net zero and energy security targets, fostering an inclusive workforce is essential. IGEM supports efforts to enhance diversity and skills within the sector to ensure a resilient, future-ready energy workforce.

Read the full report on the Energy & Utility Skills website.