MI5 is the most LGBT friendly employer in the country

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans charity Stonewall have come up with a list of the best employers in the UK according to their equality Index. Workplaces all around the country were rated by staff on their culture, diversity and inclusion.

There are six banks on the list, mainly Lloyds, RBS, JP Morgan and HSBC. Just half of the “big four” auditing firms made an appearance, but PwC and KPMG do both feature within the top 50. They were the top five in the best graduate employers of last year, but surprisingly Aldi, Google and Teach First do not get a single mention here. Away from the business side, 12 universities, including Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester and Sheffield also appeared.

Our security service MI5 is notoriously difficult to land a job at, with rigorous interviews and a severe family screening process, but they are now officially the most LGBT friendly employer in the country. Its foreign counterpart MI6 ranked 36th on the list. Stonewall Chief Executive Ruth Hunt said in a statement:

“MI5 have made fantastic strides in creating an inclusive workplace, and have now appeared on the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list since 2012. This is an amazing achievement and demonstrates just how seriously diversity and inclusion is taken. We’re thrilled to see such a commitment to lesbian, gay, bi and trans colleagues, but we also know that there is still lots to do.”