JLL recognised as Top 10 UK employer for social mobility

LONDON, 8 October 2019 – JLL has been recognised as one of the Top 10 employers in the UK who have taken the most action on the issue of social mobility in the workplace. It was announced today that the property firm has been ranked 4^th in the Top 75 employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index 2019.

The Social Mobility Foundation’s Social Mobility Index is a bench-marking initiative that ranks UK employers on the actions they are taking to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds, therefore showcasing progress towards improving social mobility.

Employers are assessed on everything from the work they do with young people and their apprenticeships, through to their recruitment and selection processes and how people from lower income backgrounds progress up the ladder within their organisations.

JLL has been recognised for its extensive skills and education work with young people, delivered through its Communities programme, and for recruiting graduates from a range of over 20 universities. The company has also adopted the One+1 work experience programme, a Social Mobility Foundation initiative that means for every young person with connections to the industry, JLL will also offer experience to a young person with no connections to real estate.   

Andrew Frost, EMEA & UK board sponsor for social mobility at JLL, said: “Having ranked 30^th in the 2018 Index, we are pleased with our progress but there is much more to still do. Research continues to show that businesses tend to disproportionately employ people from more affluent backgrounds. Alongside this, social mobility across the UK is low and not improving. As a result, businesses are overlooking some of the best and brightest candidates to the detriment of both the individuals concerned and the businesses themselves.

“We want to help address the systemic issue of social mobility in the UK and strongly believe that social background should not be a limiting factor in any person’s career. Opening up JLL and the UK property industry to talented young people from all backgrounds is critical. Social mobility will continue to be a priority for the business as we strive to build a workplace made up of people with different backgrounds, skills and ideas, where everyone can be themselves and feel motivated to do their best.” 

David Johnston OBE, Chief Executive of the Social Mobility Foundation, added: “The quality of submissions this year meant we have increased the size of our Top list from 50 to 75 and it shows the very wide range of organisations trying to make progress on social mobility. Whilst no employer would say they have cracked their social mobility challenge, all of the employers in the Top list – along with those that didn’t quite make it – should be congratulated for the efforts they’re making to ensure their organisation is open to talent from all class backgrounds.” 

JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading professional services firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. Our vision is to reimagine the world of real estate, creating rewarding opportunities and amazing spaces where people can achieve their ambitions. In doing so, we will build a better tomorrow for our clients, our people and our communities. JLL is a Fortune 500 company with annual revenue of $16.3 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of nearly 92,000 as of June 30, 2019. JLL is the brand name, and a registered trademark, of Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated. For further information, visit jll.co.uk. 

The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity which aims to make practical improvement in social mobility for young people from low-income backgrounds.

It runs free of charge programmes of mentoring, internships, university application support (including trips to universities and help with personal statements, aptitude tests and interviews) and career and skills workshops to support young people through their sixth-form and university years.

Currently taking on a new cohort of over 1700 young people every year, the SMF has offices in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester and Newcastle and runs residential programmes for young people from the Isle of Wight to the Western Isles of Scotland across 11 career sectors (Accountancy, Architecture, Banking & Finance, Biology & Chemistry, Business, Engineering & Physics, Law, Media & Communications, Medicine, Politics, and Technology).