The number of women working in the UK technology sector fell between the first and second quarters of this year, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.
ONS statistics show that the number of women in the industry fell between January-March 2023 and April-June 2023, despite an increase in the number of women across the industry over the same period. It is suggested that there has been a decrease of 3,000 people.
Andy Hayes, managing director for UK&I and Central Europe at global technology recruitment firm Harvey Nash, said these figures were “disappointing” and “concerning”, and said the numbers were “disappointing” and “concerning”, adding to the growing need to hire and retain women in the tech industry. He added that efforts to do so should continue.
“The industry must continue to work on increasing the number of women in technology, but the numbers are already too low. This quarter’s decline shows that progress will be difficult to sustain,” he said. added.
The number of women in the technology sector has been slowly increasing over the past decade, with women currently making up around 22% of the sector.
However, growth has been slow, especially with factors making it difficult for women to pursue careers in this field, including a lack of visible and accessible role models, unconscious bias in hiring, and a lack of an inclusive culture in the field. There are many barriers.
ONS figures show the number of women in technology has fluctuated over the past year, from a low of 447,000 in the first quarter of 2022 to a high of 532,000 in the third quarter of 2022. I am.
The decline of 3,000 women seen between the first and second quarters of this year is about 17,000 fewer women in the industry than the number seen between the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year. followed by a decline.
Meanwhile, the technology sector as a whole saw a jump from 85,000 people to 1.73 million people in the second quarter compared to the first, and Hayes said the economic climate has led to more cautious spending among women in the sector. This raises the question of whether this may have had a disproportionate impact on the population. .
A similar pattern has been seen during the pandemic, with women bearing the brunt of caregiving needs, unable to work effectively or having to work part-time or take time off.
Mr Hayes explained: “In recent months, we have seen an increasing number of employers specifying that they will expand their office presence and reduce some of their work flexibility, as tough economic conditions put businesses under some degree of financial pressure. I noticed that
“There may be a link to the decline in women’s employment in the tech industry. Companies are redoubling their efforts to support progressive change and ensure their labor policies do not hinder the ability to attract and retain talented women. It is necessary to do so.”
Over the past 12 months, the technology sector has seen some ups and downs, rather than the steady growth it exhibited in the previous year, and from the second quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2022, the number of people working in the technology industry will increase Did. It fell by 92,000 people, by 87,000 the next quarter, and again in the first quarter of this year.
Harvey Nash says technology skills are still in demand at all levels, although numbers in the field have fluctuated.
Mr Hayes said: “At Harvey Nash, we are seeing continued demand for technology staff across a variety of skill sets, particularly developers, cyber specialists, project managers and business analysts. There is also a strong demand for transformational CIOs. Temporary workers are also in high demand for organizations that are struggling to secure staff and budget.”
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