GCHQ features in top 75 employers for social mobility

Today the Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) has announced its latest Employers Index and we are pleased to feature in the top 75 national employers for the first time, ranking at 65.

The SMF annual rankings were launched in 2017 and have grown to become one of the leading national employer-led social mobility indices. The Employers Index ranks UK organisations on the actions they take to ensure they are open to talent from all social backgrounds.

We have been making a concerted effort to increase diversity for many years, and while there is recognition across the agency that there is still a long way to go, featuring in the top 75 employers nationwide for social mobility represents the scale of input behind the scenes.

GCHQ Social Mobility Board Champion, Lindy Cameron, CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, said:

“GCHQ began taking part in the Social Mobility Foundation Employer’s Index three years ago to give independent feedback on our work to make the organisation fairer and more inclusive for people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

“This ranking shows we’re heading in the right direction, that we’re focussing on many of the right things – recruitment, culture, and data - and implementing them well. It also gives us clear advice on where we need to focus to keep improving.”

We plan to share more of the social mobility stories of some of its staff over the next year to explain the different career paths people take to GCHQ. The stories will show the rich and varied backgrounds of staff, and outline why these differing backgrounds are so important when it comes to the work intelligence agencies undertake to protect the UK from harm.