The Social Recruitment Covenant is a free, non-binding public statement of intent that shines a spotlight on the values-led hiring choices businesses already make, such as taking on someone “off-spec,” flexing roles or hours, or offering a second chance where others didn’t see one.
Adding a signature to the Social Recruitment Covenant not only closes the recognition gap for existing good practice but also inspires peers and partners to follow suit. The Social Recruitment Covenant acknowledges that many people have more than one 'barrier' to employment, and that every individual's experience is their own.
Building social value, community wealth and wellbeing starts with real opportunities. Every signature is unique - many simply state, “we’ll keep doing what we do, but even better,” or, “we’ll introduce at least one new inclusive action each year.”
Signing the Social Recruitment Covenant drives the paradigm shift required to transform how people who have faced disadvantages in the labour market are recruited, retained and developed.
Why the Social Recruitment Covenant Was Introduced
Employment underpins thriving individuals and resilient communities. Yet many parts of the UK still face high unemployment and economic inactivity, while businesses struggle to fill roles. On 6th November 2024 the Social Recruitment Covenant was launched in Parliament to signal that social recruitment is not charity but smart business. By tapping into overlooked talent - NEET youth, unpaid carers, single parents, the long-term unemployed, ex-offenders, neurodivergent individuals and others - organisations enrich the workforce and dismantle barriers of social capital, ethnicity, disability or life circumstance.
What a Signature Does
- Demonstrates leadership to customers, suppliers, investors and regulators by displaying the Social Recruitment Covenant badge on careers pages, job adverts, tender documents, annual reports, social-value statements - even alongside email footers.
- Signals intent in procurement and tender processes, strengthening social-value credentials.
- Offers optional involvement in the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group for peer support, best-practice sharing and sector-focused roundtables, as capacity allows.
- Creates collaborative momentum: every new signature inspires peers and partners to adopt inclusive recruitment, accelerating the shift to mainstream social recruitment.
- Enables feature opportunities in PeoplePlus social-impact highlights, case studies and Social Recruitment Covenant events, further elevating business profile.
- Provides ready-to-use graphic assets - logos, banners and social-media templates - to highlight commitment while supporting internal teams.
Who Can Sign the Social Recruitment Covenant?
Any UK-based employer – large or small - who has ever recruited someone despite gaps in their CV, non-standard experience, or an unconventional background, or who plans to embed inclusive recruitment from now on as part of the Social Recruitment Covenant movement. If a business has taken that chance on potential - or intends to from now on - it’s practicing social recruitment and is invited to add it’s signature.
Join Hundreds of Signatories
Organisations such as Lidl, Timpsons, G4S, Currys, M Group, Churchill Group and Ikea have added their signatures to the Social Recruitment Covenant, demonstrating that social recruitment delivers stronger retention, fresh talent pipelines and credible social-value credentials. Each new signature helps close the recognition gap and inspires peers and partners to follow suit - raising business profiles, elevating brand reputations and embedding inclusive recruitment as standard practice. Far from being a charitable act, social recruitment is about tapping into overlooked talent pools and dismantling barriers based on social capital, ethnicity, disability, or neurodivergence. MPs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Employment Minister, Alison McGovern MP are behind this movement because they understand what needs to change.
How To Sign
You can sign the Covenant using the form below. Once we've received your application, it will be verified and one of our team will be in touch to confirm your signature and supply your media pack.
