A recent UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) report stated that only a quarter of those working in the digital sector are women. However, jobs board Bubble Jobs refutes this and claims the number is much higher.
In their own independent survey, Bubble Jobs found that 39 percent of candidate sign ups to their site in 2015 were female. This suggests a higher interest rate in the sector than the report initially indicates.
According to the UKCES report just 27 percent of women employees are in the digital sector, down from 33 percent in 2002.
Bubble Jobs digital marketing manager Amy Edwards says:
“The UKCES report was disappointing because – as our statistics prove – the digital sector is a popular option for men and women.
“The digital sector is full of opportunities for people with a range of skills, and is not a male-dominated industry as some reports would have you believe.
“Every week we see a good mix of candidates applying for jobs across the sector, suggesting that women aren’t fleeing the sector as this new report claims.”
Female sign-ups were asked to specify their key job area in the sector; 23 percent chose Web and Graphic Design, 16 percent Online and Digital Marketing, 12 percent Project and Product Management and 11 percent Social Media and Online PR.
With job-levels, the majority (43%) said they were looking for graduate or junior level roles, 28 percent were looking for manager roles and 12 percent were seeking senior/director-level vacancies.
Edwards adds:
“While some candidates may be graduates or at entry level, many are professionals who have worked in the industry for several years, so to say that only a quarter of digital workers are female doesn’t correlate to what we’re seeing.”
Amie Filcher is an editorial assistant at HRreview.
