Following research into its candidate database, The IT Job Board, the UK’s biggest IT specialist recruitment website, has revealed that only 16 percent of all job seekers are women. This confirms statistics which highlight that women make up only one fifth of all employees in the IT sector.
Drilling down into the data further, The IT Job Board has revealed its top two job titles for women working in IT companies and departments are: project manager and business analyst. For men; they are developer and project manager.
When it comes to the major cities attracting IT professionals, the top three for women are London, Reading and Birmingham (in that order), and for men – London, Birmingham and Manchester.
Commenting on the findings, Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, said: “Clearly our statistics, as the largest UK advertiser of IT jobs, confirm what we already know – that there is a serious lack of women working in the IT sector, but what are the reasons behind this?”
She adds: “The sector is male-dominated, and – I believe – a prejudice exists that men are perhaps more proficient when it comes to IT. Of course, this doesn’t paint an accurate picture, and the sector boasts a wealth of female talent – talent which should be championed.
“As the backbone of business, IT can be a competitive and stressful environment to work in, with long hours that perhaps don’t fit in with the needs of raising a family. However, I believe that companies need to focus on creating more diverse workforces, and to help women build and develop careers in IT.