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Who's in the talent pool? Understanding diversity in labour market entrants across England

Author

Listed:
  • Catherine Dilnot

    (Department of Accounting, Oxford Brookes University)

  • Lindsey Macmillan

    (UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities)

  • Claire Tyler

    (UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities)

Abstract

Research on intergenerational income mobility has shown that the UK has relatively low mobility compared to other countries and that this is, in part, driven by inequalities in access to elite occupations in the labour market by socio-economic background. Many employers are actively trying to reduce these gaps in access by socio-economic background, as well as by ethnicity and gender, forreasons of efficiency as well as equity. But they lack access to detailed information about the relevant pools of talent from which they are hiring to set informed hiring targets. This study provides such information by describing the talent pool of English domiciled university graduates and school leavers in terms of socio-economic background, ethnicity and gender by university type, subject and outcomes and school prior attainment. Importantly, given the diversity in ethnicity by place in England, it also provides details of talent pools by Travel to Work Area. Large differences in demographic make-up by attainment, institution type, subject and place are found.

Suggested Citation

  • Catherine Dilnot & Lindsey Macmillan & Claire Tyler, 2025. "Who's in the talent pool? Understanding diversity in labour market entrants across England," CEPEO Working Paper Series 25-09, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Aug 2025.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucl:cepeow:25-09
    as

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    File URL: https://repec-cepeo.ucl.ac.uk/cepeow/cepeowp25-09.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haroon Chowdry & Claire Crawford & Lorraine Dearden & Alissa Goodman & Anna Vignoles, 2013. "Widening participation in higher education: analysis using linked administrative data," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 176(2), pages 431-457, February.
    2. John Jerrim, 2020. "Measuring socio-economic background using administrative data. What is the best proxy available?," DoQSS Working Papers 20-09, Quantitative Social Science - UCL Social Research Institute, University College London.
    3. Miles Corak, 2013. "Income Inequality, Equality of Opportunity, and Intergenerational Mobility," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 27(3), pages 79-102, Summer.
    4. Claire Crawford & Paul Gregg & Lindsey Macmillan & Anna Vignoles & Gill Wyness, 2016. "Higher education, career opportunities, and intergenerational inequality," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 32(4), pages 553-575.
    5. Paul Gregg & Lindsey Macmillan & Claudia Vittori, 2019. "Intergenerational income mobility: access to top jobs, the low-pay no-pay cycle and the role of education in a common framework," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 501-528, April.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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