FDM Group, a global leader in the recruit, train and deploy sector, has achieved a mean gender pay gap of minus 4 per cent this year, following the success of the FDM Returners programme and several new gender equality initiatives.

Its Gender Pay Gap Report 2022 also shows a median gender pay gap of -4.3 per cent, a -5.2 per cent median bonus gap, and a +6 per cent mean bonus gap across the organisation.

These figures are better than many organisations across the UK, where the average median pay gap was +14.9 per cent in favour of male employees. It also improves on FDM’s median gender pay figure for last year, which was -9.6 per cent.

FDM Group’s inclusive programmes have been instrumental in supporting women and people from low-opportunities communities to find career success this year. Its Graduate Programme helps support former students with at least a 2:2 degree from any University, whilst its ex-forces and returners programmes help those who have left the forces or are returning to work after a career break. The Returners Programme specifically has restarted the careers of over 370 people in 2022, of whom 75 per cent are women.

The group has celebrated gender equality this year by launching the #S//eLivesTech event to attract more females to tech roles and participated in the Google initiative #IAmRemarkable, by hosting workshops aimed at helping young women and underrepresented groups build confidence.

In 2022, the company also launched the first women-only graduate programme, focusing on developing the next generation of Software Development and Engineering specialists, and remodelled its Early Talent Programme to supply additional learning resources for schools. They also held insight days for female students in local communities and provided resources for female students across the globe with workshops focused on tech.

FDM has also heavily invested in talent outreach and interviewer training, making it compulsory for all interviewers to complete mandatory training on key inclusivity topics such as objective note-taking, unconscious bias, different ability awareness, and how to support the progression of young talent. Its training is accredited to Gold Standard by TechSkills, the industry ‘kitemark’ for tech-related education and training.

Sheila Flavell, CBE, COO for FDM Group, said: “At FDM, we regularly host career attraction initiatives, such as female-only digital boot camps, CV workshops and interview training to help boost the confidence of women looking to enter a career in tech.

“Our ‘best of breed’ Returners Programme has a 75% female intake. We offer consultants full-time employment from day one of the programmes – from specialist instructor-led training to placement with our prestigious clients. The pandemic has supported a greater emphasis on hybrid and flexible working arrangements, which has made it easier for more women to return to work. We also provide wellbeing and mentoring programmes and support individuals with parental or caring responsibilities through our Care Employee Network.

“Our Elevate and Pride Employee Networks welcome people of all genders, as well as those identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. We place huge importance on the safety, wellbeing, and morale of all our employees whilst providing an encouraging environment to attract and retain female talent.”