Oxford City Council has published its annual Workforce Equality Report, which provides insights into the diversity of its workforce and the organisation’s gender, ethnicity and disability pay gaps.
The report, covering the period from April 2023 to March 2024, was approved at Cabinet in February and highlights ongoing efforts to improve representation across all levels of the Council.
The Government requires employers with 250 or more employees to publish their annual gender pay gap. The City Council has also reported its disability and ethnicity pay gaps.
Key data from the report:
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The total number of Council employees has increased from 777 in 2023 to 803 in 2024.
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60% of the workforce are women, which is above the economically active population of Oxford at 48.2%. However, the proportion of women in senior management roles decreased slightly from 49% to 48% this year.
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14.8% of the workforce are from a minority ethnic background, a small increase from 14.2% in 2023. Ethnic minority representation in management has increased slightly from 9% to 10%
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10.2% of employees have declared a disability, slightly down from 10.4% last year, but still above the local population average of 9.2%.
Pay gaps
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The mean gender pay gap has improved, decreasing from 7.5% in 2023 to 6.5% in 2024, while the median gender pay gap has now closed (0.7% to 0.0%)
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The mean disability pay gap has improved, decreasing from 4.9% in 2023 to 3.0% in 2024, while the median disability pay gap remains at 0.0%.
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The mean ethnicity pay gap has widened from 10.8% in 2023 to 14.0% in 2024, likely due to the loss of a senior leader from an ethnic minority background. However the median, which is a more stable measure, has only increased slightly (11.6% to 12.0%).
Steps to improve diversity and inclusion
Oxford City Council is continuing its work to build an inclusive and representative workforce. Key initiatives include:
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A management development programme supporting career development for underrepresented groups, particularly employees from minority ethnic backgrounds, women, and staff with a disability.
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Anonymised recruitment processes, including removing names, age and ethnicity from applications that are scored by recruiting managers, to reduce potential bias and ensure applications are judged on merit.
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Engagement with local schools to raise awareness of the council as an employer, offering work experience placements and attending recruitment days.
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Working with universities to offer internship placements at the Council, encouraging young people from diverse backgrounds to consider public sector careers.
“I am pleased we are making progress in reducing both the gender and disability pay gaps. Our performance compares well with many organisations in the public sector. Our workforce should reflect Oxford’s community because a more diverse team will enable us to understand the needs of Oxford’s residents. That is key to delivering the best possible services. While this year’s report shows progress, there is still more to do. We are committed to continuing our efforts to ensure our workforce truly reflects the communities we serve.”
Nigel Chapman, Cabinet Member for Citizen Focused Services and Council Companies
For more information and to view job vacancies at Oxford City Council, please visit: www.oxford.gov.uk/jobs
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