"A new report published today by the City of London Corporation's Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce reveals mid-career women are being locked out of digital roles due to rigid hiring practices in the technology and financial and professional services sectors, driving skills shortages and costing the UK economy billions of pounds in lost productivity. The research finds that more than 12,100 digital vacancies went unfilled across these sectors in 2024, wiping nearly £1 billion from UK economic growth and cutting almost £300 million from firms' bottom lines."
"The Taskforce found, if current trends continue, the UK economy could miss out on £10.8 billion in growth over the next decade, with firms losing an estimated £3.3 billion in profits."
"Rigid hiring practices are creating a less visible but deeply damaging form of digital exclusion. Mid-career women are being locked out of digital roles not because they lack ability, but because outdated CV screening penalises caring-related gaps and narrowly defines what 'relevant' experience looks like. This exclusion does not just affect individuals it weakens the digital resilience of the workforce as a whole. As AI and automation accelerate, the risk of exclusion grows. Women who are already overlooked by rigid hiring processes are also more likely to be displaced by technological change, and less likely to be offered the reskilling needed to stay connected to the digital economy. When that happens at scale, exclusion becomes systemic leaving"
More than 12,100 digital vacancies went unfilled across technology, financial and professional services in 2024, removing nearly £1 billion from UK economic growth and cutting almost £300 million from firms' bottom lines. If current trends continue, the UK could forfeit £10.8 billion in growth over the next decade while firms may lose an estimated £3.3 billion in profits. Rigid CV screening, penalties for caring-related career gaps, automated recruitment tools, and narrow definitions of relevant experience are sidelining mid-career women despite high demand for digital skills. Women face underrepresentation in digital roles and heightened risk of displacement by automation and AI.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]