New research has uncovered that the UK is a nation of “nepo workers”, with men and the Gen Z workforce most likely to benefit from leveraging personal connections to advance their careers.
The survey of 2,000 working age UK adults, carried out by ethical hiring experts Applied, aimed to uncover the role ‘nepotism’ plays in hiring – and understand how the workforce feels about leveraging personal connections to get ahead.
Younger workers and men are most likely to be “nepo workers”
Overall, the research found that more than 2 in 5 British workers (42%) have gained a job (or a job offer) after being referred to an employer through a personal connection.
Men were 33% more likely to have benefitted from “nepotism” compared to women: almost half of men (48%) surveyed said that they had gained a job (or job offer) through a personal connection, compared to just over a third (36%) of women.
Younger workers were also far more likely to have benefitted from personal connections in their careers, compared to older workers. Over two thirds (68%) of Gen Z workers (aged 18-24) and 60% of Millennials (aged 25-34) said that they had gained a job (or job offer) through a personal connection, compared to just a quarter of over-55s.
“Nepotism” is helping well-connected Gen Z workers get their foot in the door
Of the Gen Z workers who said they’d gained a job (or job offer) through a personal connection, almost a quarter (24%) were unemployed beforehand. Almost half (49%) entered into entry or junior roles as a result of leveraging a personal connection, whilst 27% entered “middle-management” positions and 14% stepped into a “senior management” role.
The findings suggest personal connections are playing a critical role in helping younger workers (with little to no work experience) get their foot in the door with employers and quickly climb the employment ladder. But the trend puts younger workers who lack strong personal networks at a disadvantage in the jobs market.
Younger workers most likely to feel morally conflicted about “nepotism”
When asked if they’d take advantage of a personal connection to advance their career should the opportunity arise, 77% of workers across all age groups said that they would.
Gen Z respondents were most likely to feel morally conflicted about this: 60% of 18-24 year olds said that they disagree with leveraging personal connections to land jobs “on principle” and don’t think it is “fair”, compared to less than half (41%) of over-55s.
But the study also showed that Gen Z workers were most likely to leverage personal connections in their careers anyway – whilst older workers who disagreed with “nepotism” were more likely to stick to their principles. Of the 60% of Gen Z respondents who disagreed with nepotism on principle, three quarters (75%) said they would take advantage of it to advance their careers anyway, whilst a quarter (25%) said that they wouldn’t do so due to their moral stance. By comparison, of the 41% of over-55s who thought nepotism was unfair, just a third (33%) said they’d go ahead and leverage connections for professional gain anyway, whilst the vast majority (66%) said that they wouldn’t do so on principle.
A stigma surrounding “nepotism” still exists
Despite 2 in 5 workers benefiting from nepotism at some point during their careers, just over a quarter (27%) of respondents overall said they’d feel “completely comfortable” telling colleagues or friends that they’d landed a job after being personally referred to an employer, whilst the same percentage (27%) said they’d feel “uncomfortable” doing so; even if they’d gone through a competitive application process before being offered the position. The findings suggest some people are worried that nepotism might change how they are perceived by friends and colleagues at work.
This “stigma” appears to be a bigger issue for older workers: just over half (51%) of over-55’s surveyed said they’d feel “comfortable” telling friends or colleagues they’d landed a job through a personal connection, compared to over two thirds (68%) of 18-24 year olds, suggesting younger workers are more prepared to embrace that “who” they know rather than “what” they know will help them get their foot in the door.
Khyati Sundaram, CEO of ethical hiring experts Applied, comments:
“It’s unsurprising that younger workers are more likely to resort to nepotism. ‘Entry-level’ roles are increasingly requiring candidates – who are likely to be new to the workforce – to have a number of years of prior relevant work experience. Plus, since Gen Z are more likely to quit jobs they’re unhappy in and be open to switching careers, personal connections offer a route into new sectors in lieu of previous experience.
“But nepotism only offers a foot in the door for some. For younger workers who lack previous 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.
“By making role-relevant skills rather than previous experience the focus of hiring processes, companies can ensure all candidates get a fair chance – regardless of who they know. Teams must also advertise all roles externally (and to diverse talent pools), anonymise applications, score applications blind, and structure interviews to prevent personal connections from influencing hiring decisions.
“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.”
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