Business is a powerful force for positive societal change and inclusive workplaces are not only fairer, but stronger, more innovative and more sustainable.

Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) helps businesses integrate social and environmental responsibility into their core operations.

A central pillar of our mission is social inclusion, with a particular focus on tackling inequality, disadvantage and exclusion in Ireland’s labour market.

BITCI’s Social Inclusion Programme works with employers to address barriers faced by groups experiencing disadvantage, including:

• People experiencing socio-economic inequality.

• People with disabilities or health conditions.

• Ethnic minority communities.

• Migrants.

• Members of the Traveller Community.

• Lone parents.

• Carers.

• Others who are under-represented in quality employment.

Elevate: the inclusive workplace pledge

In 2021, existing inequalities in Ireland were exposed and intensified. The social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected minority groups and those already experiencing disadvantage. Evidence at the time showed:

• low paid and insecure workers were more vulnerable to job loss and income instability;

• ethnic minority communities experienced greater risks of poor health and disproportionate unemployment or underemployment;

• people with disabilities faced increased barriers to accessing and retaining work; and

• women, particularly lone parents and carers, experienced heightened economic and care-related pressures. While many organisations voiced support for inclusion at the time, it became clear that passive commitment was not enough. Without clear targets, data, leadership accountability and changes to systems and practices, inequalities would persist.

Business had, and continues to have, a critical role to play in reducing disadvantage through deliberate, inclusive employment practices. BITCI launched Elevate: The Inclusive Workplace Pledge in May 2021 to move beyond awareness-raising and towards measurable, practical action by business. While many organisations expressed a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, there was a recognised gap between intention and impact. The Elevate Pledge was designed to provide employers with:

• A clear framework for taking action on inclusion.

• Evidence informed guidance and learning.

• Accountability through benchmarking and progress reporting.

• A collective space for leadership, learning and peer influence.

By signing the Elevate Pledge, organisations committed to embedding inclusion across recruitment, progression, culture and leadership, recognising that systemic inequalities require structured and sustained responses.

Five years on—progress and challenges

By 2025, the context for inclusion in Ireland had evolved. There were areas of progress alongside persistent and, in some cases, emerging challenges. Some of the positive developments observed include:

• Greater awareness of structural inequality and bias in workplaces.

• Improved data on workforce diversity in some sectors.

• Increased leadership engagement on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues.

• Stronger focus on inclusive recruitment, flexible work and wellbeing.

Challenges remain, however. Labour market inequalities continue to affect certain groups disproportionately, with gaps in representation, progression and job quality still evident. Research confirms the following:

• Rising discrimination in workplaces.

• Marginalised groups still face significant barriers to employment.

• Under-employment of skilled and qualified workers in ethnic minority communities persists.

• Migrant workers experience systemic exploitation.

• Experiences of workplace bullying and harassment are widespread amongst LGBTQIA+ employees.

• Disability inclusion in the workplace remains limited.

• Socioeconomic inequality continues to affect work opportunities.

Additionally, economic uncertainty, cost-of-living pressures and changing patterns of work have underscored the risk that progress can stall or reverse without sustained commitment.

In this context, intentional, evidence-based action by employers remains essential.

Progress among Elevate Pledge signatories

Over five years, organisations that signed up to the Elevate Pledge in 2021 have demonstrated progress in embedding inclusive practices. Through engagement with BITCI supports and reporting frameworks, many signatories have:

• Developed clearer inclusion strategies aligned with business objectives.

• Introduced fairer and more inclusive recruitment and onboarding practices.

• Strengthened supports for employees experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage.

• Improved leadership capability and accountability for inclusion.

• Begun measuring workforce diversity and inclusion outcomes more systematically.

The trends emerging among over the 60-plus signatory companies (spanning various sectors with a combined workforce of over 150,000), reveal progress in representation across multiple dimensions of diversity, while highlighting the fragility of gains.

• Female representation at Executive/C Suite level remains stronger than the national average, but a decline from 45 percent in 2025 to 41 percent in 2026 illustrates how quickly progress can stall. This reinforces that every hiring decision makes a difference.

• Disability, ethnicity and LGBTQIA+ representation show substantial increases, largely driven by improved disclosure and trust rather than transformational changes in hiring. Disability representation rose from 0.1 percent to eight percent and ethnicity from 1.6 percent to 12 percent, broadly reflecting national trends, while LGBTQIA-plus representation increased from 0.2 percent to five percent over the five years.

• Traveller Community representation remains extremely low, rising only from 0.02 percent to 0.09 percent, and continues to sit far below Census levels due to persistent racism and discrimination. Until these issues are addressed, real workplace representation will not happen.

• While living wage performance is strong, limited socioeconomic data hides deeper inequalities in access, progression and job quality.

While progress is not uniform, the evidence suggests organisations that commit to a structured, long-term approach to inclusion are better positioned to improve inclusion outcomes.

Many Elevate signatories have, for example, refreshed their hiring and progression criteria to prioritise potential over rigid qualification requirements, or expectations of experience that may unintentionally exclude non-traditional applicants.

Initiatives such as inclusion passports help people with disabilities or caring responsibilities access reasonable accommodations and overcome hidden barriers.

To make these initiatives work, Elevate signatories are also strengthening leadership through inclusive leadership training for senior leaders and reverse mentoring. Together, these actions help embed a culture of inclusion, improve employee experience and increase access to opportunity.

Call to action for business

Inequality remains one of the defining social challenges of our time. Business has both the influence and the responsibility to contribute to solutions. BITCI is calling on businesses to:

• Move beyond statements of intent and invest in sustained, measurable action.

• Use data and employee insight to understand who is being left behind.

• Embed inclusion across leadership, systems and everyday practice.

• Learn from peers and evidence through initiatives such as Elevate.

• Commit to long-term cultural and structural change.

Inclusion is not optional; it is a business necessity and a driver of long-term success. It requires deliberate action, transparency and accountability.

Elevate: The Inclusive Workplace Pledge provides a practical pathway for organisations that want to lead with integrity, impact and purpose.

By acting intentionally, business can help build a more inclusive labour market—and a more equitable society—for all.

Linda O’Sullivan is Head of Social Inclusion at Business in the Community Ireland. You can find more information on Elevate: The Inclusive Workplace Pledge here.