Inclusion Measurement Framework

The Energy & Utility Skills Inclusion Measurement Framework aligns with the sector’s Inclusion Commitment principle to measure and be transparent about progress on equity, diversity and inclusion as a sector and in individual organisations.

Inclusion Measurement Framework

Launched in 2020, the Inclusion Measurement Framework collates data on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across the energy and utilities sector as part of the sector’s Inclusion Commitment.

Measuring across the employment lifecycle from recruitment, through to progression and retention, the results have identified where change needs to happen for the sector to represent and reflect the communities the sector serves.

“The Inclusion Measurement Framework results provide valuable insights into EDI progress and serves as a key tool for organisations to evaluate their efforts and take decisive action. By creating opportunities for underrepresented candidates and offering support for their professional growth once they’ve joined the sector, we can build a more inclusive, sustainable workforce essential to the delivery of the UKs clean energy, resilient water infrastructure and environmental ambitions.”

Louise Parry, Director of People and Organisational Development, Energy & Utility Skills.

Changes Across the Sector

The 2025 results show overall female representation remains at 28% of the sector’s workforce, while women now account for 33.6% of leadership roles, marking the first notable increase in senior representation since the framework began. However, women continue to make up only 26.3% of new recruits, highlighting ongoing challenges in strengthening the early‑career pipeline.

Ethnic minority candidates account for 53.6% of early‑career applicants, yet fewer than 30% progress to hire, indicating persistent dilution through recruitment and selection processes. As a result, ethnic minority representation remains disproportionately low across the workforce, moving further away from UK‑wide workforce benchmarks and reinforcing the need to better understand where barriers arise.

Data disclosure continues to limit visibility of inclusion across the sector. More than half of employees (54.5%) do not declare a disability, with only 4% reporting a disability compared to 22% of the UK working population, while 26.9% do not disclose ethnicity. These gaps risk masking structural inequalities and reducing the effectiveness of workforce planning. Younger people remain under‑represented, with under‑25s accounting for just 8.4% of the workforce, and turnover remains highest among 26–35 year‑olds, underlining an urgent need to improve retention and build confidence in long‑term careers in the sector.

Participate in the 2025 Inclusion Measurement Framework:

This year we are looking to increase participation from across the sector, and once again we are asking you for your support and commitment to take part.

We have again appointed The Equal Group to carry out the survey. Participation is open to all organisations in the sector and is free of charge.

Don’t worry if you think you might not have all the data required – we are looking for as complete a picture as you are able to provide, and we have organised up to one hour’s support from The Equal Group to assist your teams with your submission.

The results will be published in early 2026.

“Inclusion is more than a principle—it’s a measurable commitment. Through the Energy & Utility Skills’ Inclusion Measurement Framework, we’ve been able to benchmark our progress, identify gaps, and take targeted action. At Welsh Water, this has translated into many things such as stronger leadership accountability, creation of dashboards, a women's development programme, and a clearer understanding of where we must go next. Joining the commitment isn’t just about signing up—it’s about showing up with data, with purpose, and with the will to lead change”

- Stephne Puddy, Talent Partner, Welsh Water

“Cadent has been a proud participant in the IMF for the past few years, and we have found the results to be incredibly valuable for our business. The insights we have gained from the framework have helped us to better understand the composition of our workforce and how it compares to other organisations within the industry. This has been instrumental in guiding our efforts and calibrating our ambitions in the area of diversity and inclusion, ensuring they are baselined and are realistic.

We believe that initiatives like the IMF are essential for fostering a more inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are enthusiastic about continuing our participation in this important exercise.”

- Keri Handford, People Director, Cadent

“At M Group, we’ve been involved in the Inclusion Measurement Framework since its inception, and it’s become a key part of how we understand and improve our inclusion efforts. We wholeheartedly support the IMF because it gives us a clear view of where we stand, helps us reflect on what’s working, and highlights where we can do more. It’s a valuable opportunity to learn, grow, and take meaningful action.

The insights we’ve gained have helped shape our Inclusion Strategy and continue to guide our efforts across the Group, strengthening our commitment to building a respectful, inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. The IMF has been a highly beneficial activity for us, and we’d highly recommend other businesses take the opportunity to get involved.

- Sorahya Jenkins, Senior Development Manager, M Group

"The Inclusion Measurement Framework is an important sector benchmark for us. It gives us the chance to reflect on how we’re doing compared to others with similar workforces and skill needs, and it helps us think about wider industry challenges and opportunities for collaboration."

- Sally Brett, Head of Culture & EDI, Affinity Water

The Sector’s Inclusion Commitment

The Inclusion Commitment was launched by the Energy & Utilities Skills Partnership in 2019. Since then 56 sector organisations have become signatories to five key inclusion principles as part of ensuring workforce resilience:

Work collaboratively as a sector to drive change, challenging ourselves to do things differently, by sharing best practice and delivering sector priorities.
Focus on inclusion in its entirety, however our sector history requires targeted sector action to start by increasing gender, Black, Asian and ethnic minority and disability workforce representation.
Measure and be transparent about progress in our individual organisations and as a sector.
Ensure we create the culture we need to attract the workforce of tomorrow.
Be inclusive in the way we attract, recruit and develop our people.

EDI will remain a key priority in the 2025-30 Skills Strategy. In order to build the skilled workforce to deliver the sector’s infrastructure, energy security, environmental and growth ambitions, we need to better understand and address the barriers to attracting, retaining, and progressing diverse talent.

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