UK Export Finance Public Sector Equality Duty Compliance: 2022-23
Published 28 March 2024
© Crown copyright 2024
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1. Introduction
Improving the diversity of our workforce and ensuring that all staff are given the opportunity to flourish in a work environment where they feel supported, valued, and included is a key strand of our 2020-24 People Strategy.
UKEF has made significant progress towards our 2024 targets, and we recognise that there is more for us to do to further support diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
To achieve our ambitions all UKEF staff must feel that they can be themselves at work, valued for the unique perspectives that they bring, and able to progress as far as their talents take them. Building this inclusive work environment is essential to facilitating the delivery of our ambitious 2020-24 Business Plan – the whole of our output will be greater than the sum of our parts.
As we move into 2024, UKEF is currently working to develop our new Business Plan, People Strategy and Diversity and Inclusion priorities, within which improving the diversity of UKEF will continue to be a priority.
2. About this report
This report contains equality information required by Regulation 2 of the Equality Act Specific Duty Regulations (SI 2011/2260). It shows how UK Export Finance (UKEF) complies with the Public Sector Equality Duty in Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, in relation to the diversity and inclusion of its employees.
The report uses data captured from UKEF’s Human Resources management system. Data is either loaded at the point of recruitment or edited by individuals themselves through the self-service module on the HR system. The sample of data used for this report is valid as of 31 March 2023.
2.1 Equality regulations
The equality regulations require all public bodies to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who don’t
Promoting equality of opportunity means public bodies should:
- remove or minimise disadvantages for groups of people
- take steps to meet the needs of protected groups of people
- encourage all groups of people to participate in public life or other activity situations where participation is low.
UKEF has in place several initiatives to reduce workplace inequality and works with its staff networks to achieve its diversity and inclusion objectives.
3. Equality, diversity, and inclusion objectives
To achieve our mission, UKEF must attract and develop a diverse and inclusive workforce: a workforce with the right knowledge, skills, attitude, and behaviours to meet existing and emerging needs as identified in the departmental Business Plan to 2024. We will also use our progress in setting ambitious targets for developing the new Business Plan and People Strategy beyond 2024.
3.1 Gender equality objective
As of 31 March 2023, the department had 523 employees, of which 45.32% were female and 54.68% were male. 33.33% of UKEF Senior Civil Service (SCS) staff were female. We have set a target of increasing female representation at SCS grades in the Department to 40% by 2025.
UKEF is a signatory of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter and reports on progress towards out targets annually. In 2023, UKEF carried out a career progression survey for women in the feeder grades (Grades 6 and 7) into the SCS, and has implemented actions based on this feedback, such as increased transparency on pay decision-making and reminding staff about the benefits of the internal mentoring programme.
3.2 Disability objective
As of 31 March 2023, 7.27% of UKEF staff reported having a disability. We have set a target to increase the proportion of staff who report having a disability to 8% by 2024.
UKEF has dedicated itself to becoming a better place to work for individuals with disabilities. UKEF staff have access to an internal network for disability and carers. In 2023, UKEF updated and revised the workplace adjustments process, to provide a clearer end-to-end service for employees, line managers, and HR.
In February 2021, UKEF renewed its Level 3 Leader status of the Disability Confident scheme. UKEF is committed to the Disability Confident campaign and as of February 2024 is in the process of applying to renew its Disability Confident Leader status for a further three years. As part of this exercise, UKEF carried out a thorough review of its policies and progress on disability and will continue to review its standards to reach its aspiration of being a role model department and a fully inclusive employer.
3.3 Ethnic minority objective
As of 31 March 2023, 34.61% of UKEF staff were of ethnic minorities. We have set a target to increase the proportion ethnic minority staff to 35% by 2024.
UKEF staff have access to an internal staff network for ethnic minority staff. UKEF’s recruitment team have also led a project to increase the diversity of interview panels. This gives colleagues who are willing to join interview panels the opportunity to self-declare protected characteristics such as ethnicity, so that the recruitment team can work with hiring managers to set up diverse interview panels.
In 2024, for the first time UKEF will be undertaking Ethnicity Pay Gap calculations and is committed to addressing any inequalities in this area, should they be evident.
3.4 Inclusivity objective
UKEF supports the Civil Service ambition to continue to build a more inclusive Civil Service by building on and expanding a previous focus on Protected Characteristics to deliver for all of our people, as set out in the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. UKEF will cooperate across the Civil Service in making our own workplace more inclusive for our staff.
3.5 Gender Pay Gap reporting
From 31 March 2017, public sector organisations with more than 250 employees are required to publish gender pay data on an annual basis. UKEF has published the report relating to the timeframe 2021 to 2022 and the most recent report was published on 26 March 2024.
3.6 UK Export Finance Workforce Diversity Data 2022-23
The data used to produce this report are displayed in percentages by grade group as of 31 March 2023.
- Gender by grade
- Age by grade
- Ethnicity by grade
- Disability by grade
- Sexual orientation by grade
- Religious beliefs by grade
- Marital status by grade
As displayed on the following tables, not declared refers to staff that answered, ‘prefer not to answer’ when asked. Not reported refers to staff that were asked, but no response was left.
The table below explains the grade grouping used throughout this report. To protect the anonymity of the AA/AO cohort (fewer than 10 staff) these figures are not included in the report.
| Grade | Grade group |
|---|---|
| SCS3 (highest grade) | Senior Civil Service |
| SCS2 | |
| SCS1 | |
| Grade 6 | Grades 6 and 7 |
| Grade 7 | |
| SEO | Senior and Higher Executive Officers |
| HEO | |
| EO | Executive Officers |
| AO | Adminstrative Officers and Assistants |
| AA (lowest grade) |
4. Gender by grade
| Grade | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 66.67% | 33.33% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 61.72% | 38.28% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 48.84% | 51.16% |
| Executive Officers | 44.44% | 55.56% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - |
As of 31 March 2023, the department had 523 employees, of which 45.32% were female and 54.68% were male. 33.33% of UKEF Senior Civil Service (SCS) staff were female. We have set a target of increasing female representation at SCS grades in the Department to 40% by 2025.
UKEF is a signatory of the HM Treasury Women in Finance Charter and reports on progress towards out targets annually. In 2023, UKEF carried out a career progression survey for women in the feeder grades (Grades 6 and 7) into the SCS, and has implemented actions based on this feedback, such as increased transparency on pay decision-making and reminding staff about the availability and benefits of the internal mentoring programme.
From 31 March 2017, public sector organisations with more than 250 employees are required to publish gender pay data on an annual basis. UKEF has published the report relating to the timeframe 2021 to 2022 and the most recent report was published on 26 March 2024.
5. Age by grade
| Grade | 16-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 0.00% | 0.00% | 21.21% | 39.39% | 36.36% | 3.03% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 0.00% | 8.61% | 25.36% | 28.71% | 27.75% | 9.57% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 0.00% | 33.49% | 22.79% | 19.07% | 17.21% | 7.44% |
| Executive Officers | 1.59% | 52.38% | 12.70% | 11.11% | 19.05% | 3.17% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - | - | - |
6. Ethnicity by grade
| Grade | White | All other ethnic minorities combined | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 81.82% | 15.15% | 3.03% | 0.00% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 75.12% | 21.05% | 3.35% | 0.48% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 53.49% | 41.86% | 3.26% | 1.40% |
| Executive Officers | 33.33% | 65.08% | 1.59% | 0.00% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - |
As of 31 March 2023, 34.61% of UKEF staff were of ethnic minorities. We have set a target to increase the proportion ethnic minority staff to 35% by 2024.
UKEF staff have access to an internal staff network for ethnic minority staff. UKEF’s recruitment team have also led a project to increase the diversity of interview panels. This gives colleagues who are willing to join interview panels the opportunity to self-declare protected characteristics such as ethnicity, so that the recruitment team can work with hiring managers to set up diverse interview panels.
For the purposes of this report, staff that have declared their ethnic origin as ethnic minorities (excluding white minorities) are described as all other ethnic groups combined, in line with the government’s preferred style for writing about ethnicity.
7. Disability by grade
| Grade | Disabled | Non-disabled | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 3.03% | 87.88% | 3.03% | 6.06% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 7.66% | 86.60% | 0.96% | 4.78% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 6.98% | 83.72% | 3.26% | 6.05% |
| Executive Officers | 7.94% | 85.71% | 1.59% | 4.76% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - |
As of 31 March 2023, 7.27% of UKEF staff reported having a disability. We have set a target to increase the proportion of staff who report having a disability to 8% by 2024.
UKEF has dedicated itself to becoming a better place to work for individuals with disabilities. UKEF staff have access to an internal network for disability and carers. In 2023, UKEF updated and revised the workplace adjustments process, to provide a clearer end-to-end service for employees, line managers, and HR.
In February 2021, UKEF renewed its Level 3 Leader status of the Disability Confident scheme. UKEF is committed to the Disability Confident campaign and as of February 2024 is in the process of applying to renew its Disability Confident Leader status for a further three years. As part of this exercise, UKEF carried out a thorough review of its policies and progress on disability and will continue to review its standards to reach its aspiration of being a role model department and a fully inclusive employer.
8. Sexual orientation by grade
| Grade | Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual | Heterosexual | Other | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 6.06% | 72.73% | 0.00% | 15.15% | 6.06% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 2.87% | 88.04% | 0.48% | 5.26% | 3.35% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 6.05% | 79.53% | 0.93% | 9.30% | 4.19% |
| Executive Officers | 3.17% | 95.24% | 0.00% | 1.59% | 0.00% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - | - |
UKEF staff have access to an internal LGBTQ+ network and can also attend the wider DBT LGBT+ and the Civil Service LGBT+ networks.
9. Religion or belief by grade
| Grade | Religion or belief declared | No religion | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 48.48% | 30.30% | 21.21% | 0.00% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 52.15% | 38.28% | 9.57% | 0.00% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 56.67% | 33.49% | 7.44% | 1.40% |
| Executive Officers | 66.67% | 30.16% | 3.17% | 0.00% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - |
UKEF staff are welcome to attend DBT and wider civil service faith networks. UKEF’s 1 Horse Guards Road office also features a multi-faith prayer room.
10. Marital status by grade
| Grade | Married/Civil Partnership | Single | Not declared | Not reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Civil Service | 63.64% | 36.36% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Grades 6 and 7 | 57.42% | 38.76% | 1.44% | 2.39% |
| Senior and Higher Executive Officers | 43.26% | 53.49% | 0.93% | 2.33% |
| Executive Officers | 22.22% | 77.78% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Administrative Officers and Assistants | - | - | - | - |