Ladders of opportunity: How top UK businesses create new routes into work
Think tank: The Jobs Foundation
Author(s): Georgiana Bristol; Nick Tyrone
September 9, 2025
This report from UK think tank the Jobs Foundation shows how businesses are creating the vital ‘rungs’ that help people climb into stable employment.
The Government’s Get Britain Working white paper is a big step in the right direction towards helping to create the two million jobs our economy needs to keep these ladders open to everyone. But since there are only roughly 800,000 job vacancies, the Government can’t create 1.2 million jobs on its own. That’s how many need to be created to get the employment rate up to 80 percent. We need businesses to create and continually provide those jobs. It is the mission of the Jobs Foundation to help support those businesses.
Over the past nine months, we have conducted research across a large portion of the UK, visiting England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the process. Within England, we have spoken to companies, charities and trade organisations in the North East (both Tyneside and Teesside), the North West, the Midlands, the South West, and the South East. We have spoken to organisations large and small, taking in some of the largest employers and the most recognised brands in Britain, while also making sure the voice of small and medium-sized businesses is heard, in terms of the ladders of opportunity they offer.
The Ladders of Opportunity report is the end result – a catalogue of best practice in terms of hiring, training and retaining staff. In 2026, we are establishing an Accreditation Scheme, to recognise businesses who are shining examples of using jobs and training to better people’s lives. This recognition will act as both an incentive for businesses to do even more and an encouragement for other businesses to get involved.
We hope it will act as an accelerator to help the government in their objective of getting two million people into work, helping people thrive and boosting the country’s prosperity. This report exists to define the best practice that the Accreditation Scheme will reward.
