RESOURCES: The Hidden Job Market

Throughout the process of creating my documentary I learnt one of the main obstacles for social mobility within the fashion industry is the system of the hidden job market.

Making connections and networking can be one the hardest challenges in getting ahead in the fashion industry if you come from a working class background.

The hidden job market is made up of those roles that are recruited by word of mouth rather than being openly advertised. This market means better-off, middle-class parents are able to protect their children from downward social mobility – which conversely means talented individuals from lower social backgrounds are denied these job opportunities.

Because of this, those from poorer socio-economic upbringings are left behind and unable to advance in the industry. To educate yourself more on the moral and ethical considerations of the hidden job market. Check out the resources below.

Are your recruitment processes unintentionally biased?

By Patrick Lockhart, 2016

The principle behind best practice recruitment is that no matter what their background, the best person for the job is the one who is hired. This is also the principle behind social mobility. However, in recent research Abigail McKnight of the London School of Economics has found that children from high income backgrounds who show signs of low academic ability at age 5 are still 35% more likely to be high earners as adults than children from poorer families who have early high academic ability.

Businesses must do more on social mobility

By Rachel Muller-Heyndyk, 2019

Graduates are reluctant to join organisations not addressing social mobility and are put off by bad interview experiences and lack of transparency around pay

More than a third of young people (35%) in the UK would reject a business if they perceived the workforce to be made up of predominantly middle- and upper-class employees, according to research from graduate recruitment app Debut.

Working with class: The state of social immobility in graduate recruitment

By Debut, 2020 Poor social mobility will cost the UK economy £140bn per annum by 2050

At Debut, we’re passionate about improving social mobility in the UK. While this is for us a clear moral issue, it is also a major business and economic issue.

In our latest report, we shine a light on social immobility in the graduate recruitment space. The report brings together insights from young talent, experts, and graduate employers. In doing so it reveals the tensions that exist across these three groups.