UKWIR (UK Water Industry Research) has published a new report ‘Enhancing equality, diversity and inclusion in the UK & Irish water industries’.

Commendably, the water industry has recognised a lack of diversity, identifying that the workforce across the sector is not representative of the communities they serve.

The project used a mixed method of research to investigate the root causes of this, including a high-level quantitative assessment, desk-based research, focus groups and interviews.  It was found that:

• Existing data demonstrates significant gaps in diversity, with available data mainly focusing on gender disparities.
• There is a lack of visible representation for minority groups and diverse role models, specifically at leadership levels.
• There is disproportionately low representation of women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds at attraction and appointment stages of recruitment, and these groups are likely to be under-represented through progression and development processes.

Whilst progress is being made in some areas, with some organisations starting to see success, significant improvements will need a coordinated and aligned approach across the sector.

The inclusion of targeted recommendations and a maturity matrix should help organisations assess where they are currently, identify what actions they need to take and understand what further embedded progress could look like.

This report is available to view on the UKWIR website. To access, please click here.