Social Class Is Key Variable in Career Progress, KPMG UK Finds

Social class outweighs all other diversity characteristics as the single most important determinant of career success, according to the results of a study of KPMG LLP’s UK staff and partners.

People from a low socio-economic background—measured by parental occupation—took 19% longer to be promoted to the next grade than staff from better-off families, the Big Four accounting and consulting firm said Sunday. The findings come from a report commissioned by KPMG by nonprofit consultancy Bridge Group, which analyzed the career paths of 16,500 KPMG staff and partners over a five-year period, considering gender, ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation, as well ...