Apply Now: More Women in Technology Sector

A hot topic in the tech sector now is the importance of bringing more women into its workforce.

While the need to increase gender diversity applies to many professions, the technology field has the most to gain by developing, recruiting and retaining more female employees.

Technology and tech-related companies seeking a competitive advantage in their markets are smart to consider these arguments for getting – and keeping – more women into technology.

1) Gender Diversity Drives Better Performance

Companies experience improved performance, and a better bottom line, when more women are part of their staff.

A company increases its innovation when there is more gender diversity among its workforce, from its Board and C-Suite to developers and project teams ,and as most tech companies know, innovation is the critical ingredient for business success.

Creating a culture that welcomes, incorporates and encourages insights from its female employees will often lead to a more robust and varied set of ideas that can translate to better performance.

Specifically, the government of Canada states in its The Competitive Advantage: A Business Case for Hiring Women in the Skilled Trades and Technical Professions:

“Higher levels of gender diversity can increase productivity by introducing new ways of working, strengthening team dynamics, improving decision-making processes and developing stronger problem-solving on the job.”

For example, often questioning the “why” of a new product or service, women tend to focus more on how people can use technology to solve their specific problems, less on the technology itself.

2) Gender Diversity Raises Company’s Visibility

Consumers today are also more appreciative of how a company’s workforce reflects the community it serves.

With more women on its staff, especially in leadership roles, a technology company will be perceived as welcoming to female job candidates. With more women applying to open positions, there’s a greater chance for those jobs to be filled by women.

Companies with a high number of female employees also can gain credibility and a better reputation among consumers. Women employees provide insights into the purchasing habits and preferences of female consumers, creating a better product or service.

Strategies To Increase Female Tech Professionals

Increasing the percentage of female professionals in the technology and IT sector will not happen overnight, and the technology workforce of tomorrow will remain male-heavy when looking at these statistics:

• Only 9% of the members of the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia are female
• 10% of computer engineering students are women
• 14% to 18% of students in undergraduate computer science programs are female

Fortunately, there are successful strategies for attracting and retaining female employees. Companies can start by identifying the factors that frequently push women out of the workforce.

Businesses committed to supporting its current females employees and be appealing to job candidates, besides hiring more women, can:

• Encourage a healthy work-life balance, such as offering a flexible work schedule
• Review application, interview, and quarterly review processes for any gender bias
• Make transparent the steps for career progression
• Provide professional development opportunities
• Ensure job responsibilities are engaging
• Encourage participation in mentoring programs and networking opportunities
• Support program and collaborations that assist women to enter and remain in technology sector

Signature Recruiting is excited about the trend toward improved gender diversity in the tech industry. If you are seeking to add more female workers, contact us about potential candidates.