[ S U R V E Y | D I V E R S I T Y & I N C L U S I O N ]
Despite an increase in dialogue across the market around diversity , equality , and inclusion , market experts are still finding the industry lacking in progress , The TRADE ’ s most recent survey has found .
Following the success of The TRADE ’ s inaugural Diversity & Inclusion Survey last year , this second iteration shed even more light on the current state of the market , bringing together key insights from nearly 100 industry participants .
Of the respondents a majority – 38 % – came from the buyside , while 29 % and 14 % hailed from the sell-side and trading venues , respectively . Other survey respondents included individuals from central banks , trade associations , vendors , and fintech ’ s , among others .
The TRADE ’ s first D & I Survey polled a wide selection of the market and found that while diversity is highly valued across the industry and recognised as a crucial element , there were still a number of gaps .
In a bid to support future development , this year ’ s survey findings demonstrated that although since 2023 the industry has seen a marked increase in the amount of attention D & I initiatives and dialogue received , tangible progress is still largely in short supply .
Policies are in place There is much discussion around the importance of D & I-focused policies within institutions , however , perhaps surprisingly , when asked whether their organisation has a formal policy on D & I in place , 75 % of respondents to The TRADE ’ s survey responded yes .
The TRADE ’ s D & I Survey 2024 : The industry is primed for change , but the execution remains elusive
Of the near 100 respondents to The TRADE ’ s 2024 survey , three quarters confirm that women make up just 25 % of senior trading roles within their firms ; “ The industry still has some way to go ,” concludes one respondent .
This year , the majority therefore at first glance do appear committed to real , tangible D & I efforts , however , as one respondent put it – “ the stats look nicer than the reality ”.
In this case , it ’ s only fair to surmise that it is often the most proactive in an area who look to share their insights . The survey , aside from asking if policies are in place across institutions , also asked whether organisations benchmarked progress towards a set of diversity goals .
The findings here were less encouraging , with just over 30 % stating that they do not .
Understandably , the majority of respondents were despondent when it came to progress across the board , as one respondent asserted that “ the industry still has some way to go ,” and another disappointedly stated that “ while many firms appear to be strongly D & I focused , in reality employees who fall under the D & I programmes get no support from HR or management ”.
50 // TheTRADE // Q1 2024