Projects

The project will supply workforce diversity and inclusion research. IES will conduct qualitative research to identify sector specific reasons driving the underrepresentation of certain groups of Londoners in the workplace, and lead a supporting evidence review. The relevant sectors are: Green Economy, Creative and Cultural Industries, Digital & Tech, Health and Social Care and Hospitality.

Atkins/Good Relations have commissioned IES to undertake research to explore diversity in the engineering sector and how this has changed over the last 10 years. The research will explore how diverse groups progress within the industry and what factors are barriers (career deflection) and levers to progression within engineering. The research aims to: Investigate the extent to which under-represented groups of people in the engineering profession do not progress at the same rate as the traditional “white male” workforce; Investigate the reasons why under-represented groups do not progress as quickly, and identifying potential solutions to this; and Estimate when, at the current rate of progress, the engineering profession will be a level playing field for all.

IES will deliver an evidence-based assessment of ‘what works’ in tackling youth worklessness amongst those young people most distant from the labour market who face multiple disadvantages. This will include an assessment of the strength of evidence to supply a practical resource and a starting point for identifying future priorities for YFF, and evidence gaps. The method comprises a ‘review of reviews’, combined with an REA and call for evidence/grey literature.

This project, on behalf of the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, is focused on identifying labour market interventions aimed at combating labour market segmentation (including those addressing differences in employment protection) in a selection of European countries (France, Germany, Spain and the UK). IES has been contracted by the Public Policy Management Institute to provide expert input on the situation in the UK. Key findings will feed into a comparative overview report providing evidence and policy pointers on labour market interventions that are effective in overcoming labour market segmentation.

IES is working with Cranfield University to deliver research to the Forces in Mind Trust. The focus of the research is the transition that female service leavers make from the armed forces to civilian employment, specifically to understand why their economic activity and employment outcomes are lower when compared to male service leavers. The work will involve an evidence review, stakeholder interviews, an online survey and interviews with female service leavers, as well as interviews with potential employers.

IES was commissioned by the London Borough of Lewisham to research the reasons behind the council’s success in achieving gender parity in the make-up of its senior posts and highlight how the glass ceiling impact on senior executives has been overcome in this case. The research was published as: The Power of Parity: A study of how Lewisham Council achieved gender equality at senior levels, the learning and implications

IES was contracted by the Istituto per la ricerca sociale (Italy) to conduct the UK case study on the multiple discrimination faced by women with disabilities in the labour market. This research, for the European Parliament, included identifying all relevant national data and indicators, relevant legal framework and policies to address such discrimination, and concrete examples of gender mainstreaming in the UK’s disability policy.

This project for Equality and Human Rights Commission sets out to explore what is meant by a ‘vulnerable group’ and how it can be defined in relation to equality and human rights monitoring so that it is a meaningful concept.

The project was a rapid evidence assessment (REA) to systematically identify and critically review evidence on how parents make decisions about returning to work and childcare responsibilities in the UK. Outputs included a research report and typology of factors influencing decisions.

IES carried out a review of how organisations elicit and consider requests for flexible working from those returning to work, and how they then manage the careers of those that work flexibly.