Marvin OnumonuTwo-thirds (68%) of Brits said their background still affects their career progression, according to research for Co-op.
Over half (52%) also said businesses should treat social mobility as part of their wider diversity and inclusion efforts.
Findings pointed to ongoing bias in recruitment and a lack of professional networks holding people back across the UK.
Co-op has launched two free Toolkits to help level the playing field for employers and jobseekers.
The Social Mobility Employer Toolkit gives organisations guidance to measure and improve social mobility within their teams.
The Employability Toolkit is aimed at people facing barriers to work, such as young people, returners, refugees and those with convictions, offering support to build confidence and job skills.
The Toolkits are available on Co-op’s website and will be shared with partner organisations, including Co-op’s Levy Share and Co-op members, and rolled out in Co-op Academies Trust to support students in disadvantaged areas.
Young members helped test and refine the content.
Research found 68% said background like accent, family income or school affects career opportunities.
Only 32% felt confident that employers genuinely care about social mobility, and 52% said businesses should treat it as part of their diversity and inclusion work.
People said the biggest barriers to progress for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are the cost of higher education (31%), bias in recruitment (28%) and lack of confidence or professional networks (25%).
Claire Costello, chief people and inclusion officer at Co-op, said: “This research shows that background still plays too big a role in determining career success.
“Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Every business can take steps to change that.
“Our new Employer Toolkit makes it easier for organisations to understand the socioeconomic gap in their workforce and take practical action to close it.”
Costello added: “At Co-op, access to opportunity is a core part of our Social Value Strategy, and we are showing that inclusion and productivity go hand in hand.”
Maree Moore, associate director of organisational learning, talent and inclusion at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, said: “At Coca-Cola Europacific Partners we share Co-op’s commitment to improving social mobility and widening access to opportunity.
“The Co-op Employer Toolkit is a practical and valuable resource that helps businesses of all sizes take meaningful steps to understand and address inequality linked to socioeconomic background.”
Co-op called for stronger Government action to make social mobility measurable, including requiring large employers to publish data on colleagues’ socioeconomic background.
Additionally, Co-op wants the Government to explore ways to incentivise and support employers to measure and publish this data.
