The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) will act as a sponsoring partner for the Women and Work All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in 2018. As part of the collaboration the REC will support the group’s activities and bring in its expertise on this year’s topic: ‘How to Recruit Women for the 21st Century’.
Launched in 2016 as a result of increased focus on the role of women in the workforce, the Women and Work APPG’s aim is to provide a forum for debate about what policy makers and stakeholders can do to deliver gender balance within the economy.
REC director of policy Tom Hadley says:
“As the professional body for recruitment, the REC is proud to be partnering with the Women and Work APPG. Diversity and inclusion at work are important for the future sustainability and competitiveness of the UK labour market. We have already come a long way, but the speed of change is still too slow in important areas such as women’s representation on boards and access to flexible working. This partnership is a great opportunity for us to share our expertise on hiring strategies and to support the continued drive to improve women’s experiences in the labour market.”
Gillian Keegan, MP (Con) and co-chair of APPG:
“Entering and re-entering the labour market can still be full of challenges. Open and inclusive hiring practices are therefore essential if women are to have a fair chance of succeeding. I’m really pleased that the Women and Work APPG will be looking at ‘How to Recruit Women for the 21st Century’ during its 2018 programme of work. I’m looking forward to working with the group to explore the difficulties and opportunities in this area and put forward concrete solutions for change and improvement.”
Jess Phillips, MP (Lab) and co-chair of APPG:
“While progress has been made in recent years, women still face persistent obstacles in the labour market. We have to make this a thing of the past. Employers need to think differently about their hiring process and take recruitment more seriously if they are to successfully attract and hire women today. I’m excited about working with the Women and Work APPG this year to explore recruitment practices in depth, the problems that persist and the steps that employers and the government can take to ensure women are able to be progress.”
The Women and Work APPG is made up of the following parliamentary officers:
Gillian Keegan MP (Con) – Co-Chair
Jess Phillips MP (Lab) – Co-Chair
Caroline Flint MP (Lab) – Vice Chair
Baroness Prosser (Lab) – Vice Chair
Baroness Uddin (Crossbench) – Vice Chair
Baroness Burt (LD) – Vice Chair
Neil Gray MP (SNP) – Vice Chair
Baroness Goudie (Lab) – Vice Chair
Baroness Garden of Frognal (LD) – Vice Chair
Deirdre Brock MP (SNP) – Vice Chair
Kirstene Hair MP (Con) – Vice Chair
