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The ABI's Job Share Project

What is the Job Share Project? 

The project aims to: 
  • Increase diversity by supporting members to recruit and retain the best and most diverse talent 
  • Reduce the gender seniority gap, and 
  • Strengthen the reputation of our sector by showcasing member firms as inclusive and flexible places to work.  

The Job Share Project is a campaign to promote job sharing to individuals and to promote the ABI members that support job sharing. We plan to launch it in early 2021 and, when enough members pledge their support, we will launch the first private sector job share portal in the UK at the same time. This portal will enable employees of ABI members to log in, create a profile and then find a job share partner with similar skills and experience. They will then be able to jointly apply for roles.  

What is job sharing? 

Job sharing involves two employees individually working part-time to cover one full-time role. Not all roles are suitable for part time working, but they can be done as part of a job share and anyone can job share. It is a way of working that can benefit a wide range of people, from those who want a portfolio career, to those nearing retirement, parents and carers, those who are studying or have other interests, those who have a disability, or those recovering from an illness or who want to focus on their wellbeing or mental health. 

The Gender Seniority Gap Report published by the ABI in 2018 showed that part-time workers are much less likely to be promoted and progress up the pay-scale. 90% of all part time workers in the insurance and long-term savings industry are women, so this issue has a significant impact on them. Our 2019 data shows that women only make up around 25% of those at Executive and Board level and a large part of this is due to the ‘motherhood penalty’. Because job sharing allows individuals who need or want to work reduced hours to progress their careers, increasing job sharing in the sector will, over time, reduce the gender seniority gap and improve diversity. There is also significant evidence that increasing the diversity of leadership teams leads to more innovation and improved financial performance.  

Job sharing is currently an unusual form of flexible working in the insurance and long-term savings sector, but allowing it gives employers access to a wider talent pool, improves talent retention, makes teams more resilient and increases diversity. It also means that organisations benefit from two sets of skills and experience, and research from the Civil Service shows that people who job share have higher levels of wellbeing compared with people that work full time or part time.  

How can members get involved? 

We are ready to develop the Job Share Portal, but we need ABI members to pledge their support first by agreeing to promote the portal, advertise roles as open to job sharing and put processes in place to support job share partners. If you would like to find out more about this project then please contact Chloe Tait and Katy Murray.