Introduction

As part of its support to members, Ibec provides advice and insight on the wider social issues that affect business. The aim is to provide business with opportunities to interact with the wider community, while influencing the development of relevant national policy. The scope of social affairs is wide and includes the areas of labour market activation, diversity and inclusion, migration and mobility and mental health.

Ibec has two main policy committees that support the development of social policy. The Ibec Labour Market and Skills Council and the Ibec Diversity Forum. These committees meet quarterly to track and address changes in legislation and pertinent workplace issues at a national and European level.

The Ibec Labour Market and Skills Council is a senior standing committee on all labour market and skills issues with responsibility for critical areas and overseeing policy campaigns from school reform to employee relations, apprenticeships to gender-balanced leadership, higher education quality to incomes policy.

The Ibec Diversity Forum offers HR practitioners who specialise in the areas of diversity and inclusion an opportunity to network, share practice and monitor policy as it relates to diversity and inclusion. The group has representation from over seventy organisations that consider workplace diversity a priority. The group explores people management issues across all aspects of diversity and inclusion but of particular focus are gender equality and mental health.

Ibec also represents Irish business and employers in discussions with the government and others on a wide range of social issues and engages with a range of policy making bodies and monitoring committees such as the National Economic and Social Council and the the National Women's Strategy Monitoring Committee.