Market Insight / Diversity Research
Ethnic Diversity in HR: Market Mapping and Insight
A market map of ethnic diversity across HR roles in major UK organisations, and what it shows about the route to senior leadership.
The research
Talent Acumen mapped ethnic diversity across HR roles in major UK organisations. We reviewed more than 15,000 profiles across six sectors and three regions to show where ethnically diverse HR professionals work, at what level, and how the organisations compare with national benchmarks.
At a glance
| Roles examined | Employee Relations, Organisational Design, People Partners, Recruiters, HR Business Partners, Heads of HR, L&D Managers, Talent Management, HR Project Managers and HR Transformation |
| Sectors | FMCG, Consumer, Retail, Tech, Telcos, and Transport & Logistics |
| Geography | London, the Home Counties and Manchester / North West |
| Method | Profile-by-profile research across 15,433 HR professionals, giving a 1.82% yield |
| Result | 281 ethnically diverse HR professionals identified across 118 companies |
Where ethnically diverse HR professionals are
Concentrated in London and in generalist roles
London accounts for 65% of the ethnically diverse HR professionals identified, reflecting the capital's concentration of large employers and diverse talent pools.
Percentages in this section are shares of the 281 ethnically diverse HR professionals identified in this research, not of the wider HR workforce.
By location
| Location | % of the 281 identified |
|---|---|
| London | 65% |
| Home Counties and North West | 35% |
By function
| Function | % of the 281 identified | Professionals |
|---|---|---|
| HR / People | 54% | 153 professionals in generalist HR and People roles |
| Recruitment | 26% | 73 professionals in recruitment functions |
| Talent & L&D | 13% | 36 professionals across talent management and learning & development |
| Organisational Design | 5% | 13 professionals in organisational design roles |
| Other HR roles | 2% | 6 professionals in other HR roles examined |
Recruitment and HR generalist roles show the highest ethnic diversity. Specialist functions such as Organisational Design have far fewer.
The seniority gap
Representation falls away at senior level
Most ethnically diverse HR professionals identified are at Manager or Partner level. Only 49 hold Head of level roles or above.
Percentages in this section are shares of the 281 ethnically diverse HR professionals identified in this research, not of the wider HR workforce.
| Level | % of the 281 identified |
|---|---|
| Mid-level: Manager / Partner level | 83% |
| Senior: Head of, Director and VP level | 17% |
Organisational representation
| Finding | What we saw |
|---|---|
| Limited concentration | Only six of the 118 organisations had double-figure numbers of ethnically diverse HR professionals |
| Low ratios | Even in those six organisations, ethnically diverse professionals made up just 1.7% to 8.9% of total HR headcount |
| Below benchmarks | Most mapped organisations fall below national averages for ethnic diversity in HR |
Against national benchmarks
Below the national picture
The mapped organisations generally fall below national benchmarks for ethnic diversity in HR, showing significant room for improvement.
Source: The UK People Profession in Numbers (CIPD, 2021), based on ONS data for 2009 to 2019.
By sector and size
| Observation | What we saw |
|---|---|
| Larger organisations | Larger, more complex organisations show slightly higher ethnic diversity, but still fall below national averages |
| Sector variation | Tech and Telcos show marginally better representation than traditional FMCG and Retail |
| A systemic challenge | The gap persists across every sector and size of organisation examined, pointing to a widespread issue |
Key insights and the path forward
What the data tells us
Mid-level concentration. Ethnic diversity is concentrated at Manager and Partner levels rather than in senior leadership.
Limited senior presence. Head of, Director and VP level representation remains significantly limited across all sectors examined.
Functional patterns. Recruitment and HR generalist roles show the highest ethnic diversity compared with specialist functions.
Geographic concentration. London dominates in absolute numbers, though representation ratios remain modest even in the capital.
The path forward
Improving ethnic diversity in HR needs targeted action at senior level, better progression pathways, and organisational commitment to diversity beyond mid-level roles.
| Priority | What it means |
|---|---|
| Senior pipeline | Develop pathways into Head of, Director and VP roles, and know who is ready to step up |
| Progression support | Enable career advancement for the strong mid-level talent already in place |
| Organisational commitment | Embed diversity at every level, not just at entry and mid-level |
What we can do for your business
This project looked at HR, but the same research method works for any function, sector or region. Market insight gives you the evidence to set realistic targets, widen your search and make better hiring decisions.
Diversity mapping to show where under-represented talent sits in your market, by function, level and location.
Benchmarking of your organisation against competitors and national data.
Senior pipelines of high-potential people ready to step up into leadership roles.
Talent mapping for any role, team or location, so you can see the market before you hire.
Market insight on competitor structures, reporting lines and pay to inform your decisions.
You can use one service for a single project or combine several. We can also provide embedded research support for set periods, from two weeks to twelve months. Whatever you choose, you pay a transparent day rate for the work, not a percentage of salary.