Firms that promote a diverse workforce enjoy business benefits, including higher productivity and staff retention rates.

The new report, entitled ‘Talent not Tokenism’, published jointly by the CBI and TUC, says that employers who recruit people because of their abilities and potential, irrespective of their sex, race, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion, often find that there is a direct benefit to the business. 

Richard Lambert, director-general of the CBI, said: "Employers who take steps to encourage a more diverse workforce, notice huge benefits from doing so, whether it is hiring skilled staff, understanding their customers’ needs better or more fundamentally through improved morale and productivity".

"It does not have to be hard work or legally complex either - simply making the effort to work out your precise needs, reaching out as widely as you can then hiring, training or promoting the best person on merit."