Civil service ‘diversity and inclusion’ officers paid more than top trade officials
Civil service diversity and inclusion officers are paid as much as £10,000 more than top trade officials, government job listings suggest.
The Department for Business and Trade is currently seeking a new “head of country” for Poland, the UK’s 13th-largest trading partner with a £540bn economy.
A successful applicant would be in charge of “developing strategy on trade policy and shaping the overall trading relationship” with Poland.
The listing says that someone based outside London could receive a salary of between £32,858 and £34,586 for the role, rising to between £36,583 and £38,272 if they live in the capital. By comparison, a typical civil service diversity and inclusion officer in London receives £42,697 per year, according to the careers website Indeed.
Earlier this year, ministers in the former Conservative government said they wanted to cut the number of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles in Whitehall amid concerns they had become a vehicle for “woke hobby horses”.
The new Government is yet to confirm whether it will continue with this approach. However, the salary figures are likely to raise eyebrows at a time when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has made growing the economy his main mission.
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It is not the first time the Government has been scrutinised over claims it does not pay enough for specialised roles that command higher salaries in the private sector.
For example, while research scientists at Facebook owner Meta can earn more than $1m per year in California, Whitehall mandarins last year attempted to recruit a “deputy director for AI international” on an annual salary of £75,000.
Poland is one of Britain’s closest European allies and trade between the two countries amounted to just under £32bn in the year to the end of March, an annual increase of 11pc, according to a government document.
As a member of the European Union, most of the country’s trade policy is handled by Brussels under post-Brexit trade cooperation agreement.
Nevertheless, 31pc of the UK’s £11.2bn in exports to Poland were services such as legal advice or fund management – which were not comprehensively covered by the EU agreement.
At a meeting with fellow European leaders last month, Sir Keir held one-on-one talks with Polish premier Donald Tusk and vowed to work more closely on issues such as energy and defence.
The Department for Business and Trade said the job being advertised was “part of a wider team... which promotes trade with Europe, and will be working closely with staff based both in the UK and in Poland to support our exporters and business”.
The role reports to a senior civil servant who holds a director-level position, a spokesman added.
They did not comment on the level of pay offered.