London has the highest rate of ‘Nepo workers‘ in the UK, as half of Londoners have been handed a job because of personal connections.
A poll of 2,000 working-age adults conducted by recruitment software firm Applied found the capital beat out Liverpool, Belfast and Plymouth to be the UK’s top city for nepotism, with exactly 50% saying connections gave them a job.
Of those workers, one in eight said they had entered a senior management position because of personal links, while 38% entered middle management.
The survey suggested a certain sense of shame around being a ‘Nepo worker’. A quarter of those in the capital who received a job via connections said they would be “uncomfortable” to share that fact with friends and colleagues.
Similarly, most Londoners, at 53%, said they disagree with the idea of getting a job through connections “on principle” and think it is “not fair”.
Yet few would be willing to turn down those opportunities if they arose. When asked if they would take advantage of a personal connection in order to advance their career, more than 80% said they would.
Applied CEO Khyati Sundaram noted a job market built on connections was likely to only help those from privileged backgrounds.
“Personal connections offer a route into new sectors or entry-level roles, in lieu of previous experience - but only for some,” she said.
“For workers who lack relevant work experience and personal connections, nepotism is only widening the gap between those with ‘friends in high places’ and candidates who lack this privilege.
“For this reason, nepotism shouldn’t have any place in hiring processes.”
That claim is backed by recent studies, which have found 60% of leaders of top City investment banks and two thirds of private equity leaders went to fee-paying schools.
“It’s up to companies to create a level playing field for all candidates and guard against the potential for nepotism to have a bigger bearing on who gets what job than demonstrable skills,” Sundaram said.
