New report commissioned by Nominet shows the economic value of bringing more women into IT careers
Oxford, UK 24 April 2014: Increasing the number of women working in IT could generate an extra £2.6 billion a year for the UK economy, according to a new report commissioned by Nominet, the internet company best known for running the .uk internet infrastructure. The report, released today to mark International Girls in ICT Day, found that:
- If the gender gap reduced and women filled the skills shortage in IT, the net benefit for the UK economy is estimated to be £2.6 billion each year.#
- Women currently make up less than one fifth of the IT workforce. Based on current trends, the IT gender gap is set to widen slightly over the coming years.
The report drew on new research among IT decision makers in UK businesses, which found:
- 76% believe they lack suitably skilled staff in IT. Of these, 58% say this negatively affects productivity levels, estimating on average that productivity levels are 33% lower as a result.
- 59% agree that their IT team would benefit from having a more gender-balanced workforce, while only 7% disagree. Improved communication skills (52%), improved staff morale (48%), and bringing new ideas to the organisation (46%) were the most frequently cited benefits.
The report found that low female participation in IT education is a key factor in the workforce gender gap. Only a third of ICT A-level students and less than a tenth of Computer Studies A-Level students are female. The imbalance remains at university, with girls accounting for only 19% of students taking computer science degrees. At present, only 9% of female students taking IT degrees go on to an IT career, compared with 26% of men.
Even relatively small gains in education can have an effect: If the same number of women studied computer science degrees as men, and the same proportion of these women as men went on to work in the IT industry, the overall net benefit for the UK economy would be £103 million per year.
The research also found that 53% agree that women find working in technology jobs less attractive than men do. Of these, 60% of believe that the IT profession is still perceived to be male-dominated, and 33% think IT is not promoted enough as a viable career option for girls in school or college.
However, there are signs that the IT industry is increasingly recognising the importance of attracting more women. Almost a quarter of those surveyed said that their company is promoting IT roles expressly to women, and a fifth are visiting schools and universities specifically to speak with girls and young women.
Nominet’s Director of HR Gill Crowther comments, “The digital economy is driving economic growth in the UK. Given the extent of the IT skills shortage, we can’t afford to only recruit from half the talent pool. It’s alarming to think that, if current trends continue, the IT gender gap will get bigger rather than smaller. “We need to attract more women into the technology industry at every level and this starts with encouraging girls at school and university to study IT subjects. The new curriculum coming into force in September offers a fantastic opportunity for girls to become engaged with more technical subjects as the study of computing – and coding – becomes compulsory for all schoolchildren.”
Notes to editors – About the report
The Closing the gender gap report was produced by the economics consultancy Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr).
The study draws on a survey of 527 business decision makers in IT teams and IT companies conducted by Opinium Research between 21 March and 2 April 2014.
Nominet commissioned the research and report to mark International Girls in ICT day, which aims to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in IT.
For more information
Please contact Cathy Donald / Victoria Marnoch at Brands2Life on 020 7592 1200 or by email at [email protected]