This was the message from Recruitment & Employment Confederation CEO Neil Carberry to an audience of recruiters, as he said the REC had put EDI “front and centre” of its own strategy. 

Carberry was addressing the REC’s half-day DEI conference in London, attended by about 100 people from inside and outside the recruitment industry. The event, featuring two specialist panels, also marked the launch of the REC’s EDI guide to inclusive recruitment. The guide is intended to help recruitment agencies create and develop an “ethically right, commercially right” EDI strategy and action plan for themselves as well as source “exceptional candidates” for their clients and win and retain high-margin business.

“Recruiters will not make progress with clients until you make progress internally,” Carberry said. “[It’s a lot] about fixing your own businesses.”

While many business leaders often do not know where to start to make their organisations more aligned with EDI values, Carberry urged recruitment leaders to “commit to do something as we move along the path”, as EDI practices are “right at the heart of what we do”.

Editor’s note: More insight from the conference will be published tomorrow.

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