Upward social mobility is lower in civil society than in the UK overall, government figures show.

In civil society, upward social mobility – the proportion of those in higher-class occupations from less advantaged backgrounds – was just 22.5 per cent in 2020, compared with the UK’s overall rate of 26.5 per cent, new figures from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have found.

This was also lower than in DCMS sectors overall, which recorded 23.2 per cent in upward social mobility.

The DCMS’ economic estimates, which compare economic measures for DCMS sectors over the past 10 years, found that in 2020, about 55 per cent of filled jobs in civil society were held by people from more advantaged backgrounds.

This was higher than the UK average of nearly 47 per cent, but similar to the DCMS sector average of just under 55 per cent.

People from less advantaged backgrounds held nearly 26 per cent of filled jobs in civil society, while about 19 per cent of the jobs were held by people from unknown backgrounds.

Sarah Atkinson, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, said that while it was positive to see DCMS publishing socioeconomic background data, it was “depressing” to see civil society rank lower than other sectors in upward social mobility.

Atkinson said: “This unfortunately chimes with the experience of many working class people that it's hard to get in, get on and feel confident they belong in the charity sector.

“Underrepresentation of people from working class backgrounds is a problem across our society, but we're seeing more action to change in some traditionally elite sectors like law and banking.”

She added that charities could enter the organisation’s social mobility employer index to receive expert feedback on their social mobility standing.

“We stand ready to support any organisation who wants to take the first steps on the journey to improving social mobility.”

The figures show that in 2020, 900,000 jobs were occupied in the civil society sector, a growth of nearly 21 per cent since 2011. 

This was about 10 percentage points higher than the growth experienced by the UK overall, which grew by nearly 11 per cent over the same period.

The report adds that compared with the UK average, people working in civil society in 2020 were much more likely to be female, more likely to be disabled but slightly less likely to be from an ethnic minority group.

The proportion of filled jobs in civil society held by people with disabilities increased “substantially” between 2011 and 2020, the report adds. The proportion of roles held by people from ethnic minority backgrounds also rose, while the proportion held by women decreased over the same period.

The report also provides earnings estimates for DCMS sectors, finding that in 2021, the median annual earnings for civil society were £24,778 – 21 per cent lower than DCMS sectors overall.

The median annual gross pay for civil society roles was highest in London, at £31,936, followed by the east of England at £25,754. The south west recorded the lowest rate of median annual earnings, at £22,041. 

The report also found that in 2021, the gender pay gap for civil society was higher than for the whole of the UK economy. Civil society recorded a nearly 21 per cent pay gap, compared with the UK average of just over 15 per cent.

Sarah Elliot, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: “This report highlights there are clearly still barriers for people from less advantaged backgrounds that stop or prevent them choosing our sector for their career.

“At NCVO, we believe it’s important our sector’s workforce is as diverse, inclusive and representative of the communities we serve as possible.”

Elliot said the sector needed to make sure that it offered competitive pay but also comprehensive benefits, such as flexible working patterns, hybrid and remote working, apprenticeship programmes and clear career development pathways.

“Having strong people and wellbeing strategies in place, created with their EDI principles in mind, will help charity leaders feel confident they can recruit and retain the very best talent, from all backgrounds,” she said.