Women in tech and finance face higher risk of AI job losses, City of London report warns

"The study found that "mid-career" women - typically with five or more years' experience - are being disproportionately exposed to job displacement while also being overlooked for emerging digital roles due to rigid hiring practices and automated recruitment screening. Women remain under-represented across tech and financial and professional services, and the report warns that the rapid adoption of AI risks widening gender inequality in the workforce unless employers rethink how they recruit, retain and retrain staff."

"According to the City of London Corporation, many experienced women are being sidelined by CV-screening tools and recruitment processes that fail to account for career breaks linked to childcare or caring responsibilities. Automated systems often prioritise uninterrupted career histories and narrowly defined technical experience, disadvantaging women who have stepped away from work or moved into non-technical roles. As a result, female applicants are frequently excluded at the earliest stages of hiring, even where their transferable skills and experience could be adapted for digital roles."

"The report calls on employers to shift their focus away from rigid job specifications and towards skills-based hiring, placing greater emphasis on aptitude, adaptability and potential rather than linear career paths. The research estimates that around 119,000 clerical roles across tech, finance and professional services, positions predominantly held by women, are likely to be displaced by automation over the next decade. However, the report argues that many of these job losses could be avoided if businesses invest in reskilling rather than redundancy."

Women working in technology and financial services face greater risk of job loss to artificial intelligence and automation than men. Mid-career women with five or more years' experience are disproportionately exposed to displacement and are being overlooked for emerging digital roles because of rigid hiring practices and automated recruitment screening. CV-screening tools and recruitment processes often fail to account for career breaks for childcare or caring responsibilities and prioritize uninterrupted career histories and narrowly defined technical experience. Female applicants are frequently excluded early in hiring despite transferable skills. Around 119,000 clerical roles predominantly held by women are likely to be displaced; reskilling into digital roles could save employers up to £757 million.

Read at Business Matters