Is marketing ready to break down the barriers for diverse young talent?
Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have brought the issues of inclusivity and social justice to the fore but with unpaid internships still rife and a lack of apprenticeships on offer can the marketing industry really improve diversity?
Developing a pipeline of diverse young talent should be the goal for any business, but the Covid-19 pandemic has largely put this ambition on hold.
Now a generation of young people entering the labour market are faced with recruitment freezes and unprecedented levels of uncertainty, compounded by the pressure to take unpaid internships and brands getting cold feet about introducing apprenticeships.
Less than a fifth (18%) of marketing employers are currently recruiting graduates, trainees or apprentices, according to new research from recruiter Hays. The survey of 760 marketing professionals found that 39% of Gen Z participants describe their career prospects as ‘average’ or ‘poor’, while 30% are less positive about their career since lockdown commenced.
Amid this worsening picture for youth employment the government is urging businesses to get young people into work via its Kickstart programme, which will see the state pay £1,500 to organisations for every 16 to 24-year-old claiming Universal Credit they train.
