IKEA recognised for building a more inclusive workplace

These eight values, including togetherness, simplicity, renew and improve, and caring for people and planet, guide how more than 160,000 co-workers work together every day to create a fair, inclusive and people-positive workplace.

This long-term focus on gender equality and inclusion has delivered measurable progress. Today, women make up 50% of all managers and 48% of Country CEOs across Ingka Group. The company’s unadjusted gender pay gap has narrowed to 4%, with less than 1% of co-workers requiring monetary adjustments, reflecting a continued commitment towards gender equal pay for work of equal value.

This progress has now been recognised by Forbes, which named IKEA among the World’s Top Companies for Women 2025, ranking IKEA in the top five globally. The recognition reflects how a values-based culture can drive both inclusion and business performance.

While there is more to do, this progress reflects many years of sustained focus on equality, inclusion and leadership development, from annual gender pay-gap reviews and inclusive succession planning to creating development opportunities that help women take on new challenges and leadership roles early in their careers.

“We strive to create a workplace where people feel trusted, supported and safe to share ideas and learn from mistakes. That sense of belonging is essential for innovation, growth and delivering on our vision and purpose,” adds Biesèrt.

That sense of belonging is reflected in the way co-workers experience everyday work at IKEA. In a recent global survey of more than 134,000 co-workers, 84% said they feel they can be themselves at work.*

Over decades, Ingka Group has taken deliberate action to strengthen equality, diversity and inclusion and create a workplace where everyone can grow and contribute to the business, including:

• Annual gender pay-gap reviews to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, including removing salary history requests from recruitment to reduce bias and promote fair pay practices.
• Inclusive succession planning to strengthen gender balance in leadership pipelines.
• Global menopause guidance to support co-workers and help normalise conversations about health and wellbeing in the workplace.
• Leadership development initiatives, such as the Bloom programme, which encourages co-workers to step into new challenges early in their careers, building confidence and learning through experience, an approach that helps leadership grow at every level.

“We want to continue to create equal opportunities and make sure every co-worker feels seen, supported, and able to grow. Leadership at IKEA has never been about titles. It’s about how we act and the choices we make every day, what we call “leadership by all.” It means everyone, no matter their role, can lead by example, by being curious, caring for others and contributing to change, whether serving customers in a store, working in a fulfilment unit or developing new digital solutions, says Ulrika Biesèrt.

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*Ingka Group Annual Summary and Sustainability Report FY24 

Related links:

• Better lives | Ingka Group – People are at the heart of everything we do. From gender equal pay to inclusive workplaces. We want to take a leading role in creating a fairer and more equal society and to improve the lives of the millions of people that interact with, or are impacted by, our company.

About Ingka Group
With IKEA retail operations in 31 markets, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents about 90% of IKEA retail sales. It is a strategic partner to develop and innovate the IKEA business and help define common IKEA strategies. Ingka Group owns and operates IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. It has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Read more on Ingka.com.