Just one in ten CEOs of the world’s largest tech firms is female
The UK’s digital skills gap is adversely affecting the tech sector, ultimately filtering through into the economy, impacting companies, employers, and Brits nationwide. In light of this, a new study has been conducted on behalf of edtech company, Fire Tech (www.firetechcamp.com), looking at the top CEOs in the global tech sector, to see if diversity in the workplace is adding to the digital skills gap across the globe.
After looking at the 50 largest and most successful tech companies in the world, it was found that nearly all (90%) of CEOs are male, whilst just 10% are female. None of the top 10 largest tech firms have a female CEO. This highlights the serious lack of gender diversity in high-profile job positions within the wider tech and digital tech industry.
Adding to this, the tech industry appears to be significantly lacking diversity and inclusivity, with 45% of all male CEOs being white, 33% Asian, 9% Indian, 4% French, 4% Spanish and 2% Swedish.
Astoningishly, not one single male CEO of the leading tech companies around the world is black, highlighting the serious lack of diversity in this industry; just one female CEO within the research is black.
Even more alarmingly, the gender pay gap between males and female leaders in the tech industry is staggering. Male CEOs of the top tech firms are earning an average of around $24.4m per year, whilst women in similar positions earn just $7.25m in comparison. This means on average, men earn 237% more than women in CEO positions within the tech industry.
Along with the lack of gender diversity, and the significant difference in pay between men and women in the tech sector, there are several other key challenges adding to the digital skills gap. There is a high demand for skilled workers with digital-based skills, but there aren’t enough workers who are qualified enough to fill these positions. It is estimated that within the next two years, an additional 1.5 million people will be needed to fill specialist IT and digital positions.
In addition to this, there is a need for upskilling the UK workforce. Many Brits don’t have the basic skills required to apply for well-paid job positions in the tech industry, and the lack of diversity is another barrier for many people to overcome. These workers are fighting an uphill battle to break into the digital industry, when they simply haven’t been taught – or even had access to learning in areas such as coding – to feel confident enough to apply for positions in this industry.
Leading online tech education company Fire Tech is helping to reverse the worsening digital skills gap in the UK. They do this by offering bespoke courses to children and teens in tech-based subjects to develop a generation of young people with the skills and confidence to become the next generation of tech leaders. By starting young, we enable these young people to build a strong foundation for lifelong learning as they continue to adapt in a world where innovation is only accelerating.
Already, they have teamed up with tech giants like Google and Amazon to increase access to computer science education in the UK. These projects increased exposure to opportunities and skills, particularly for under-represented groups, and helped young learners develop critical skills needed to succeed in future jobs. However, the UK education system still has a long way to go in the uphill battle of eliminating the digital skills gap for good.
So far, the online tech education company has brought tech skills to more than 80,000 students through its online courses and camps. So far this year, there is a 70/30% split between male and female students. Interestingly, this trend is reflected in the number of women employed in core STEM occupations compared to the number of men in the same sectors. There are just over 1 million women employed in a core-STEM job, the highest it has ever been however, men still dominate a multitude of core-STEM industries with nearly 4.5 million employed in these sectors. With wider support, the opportunity is there to expand the reach and access to these essential skills across the UK.
Jill Hodges, founder of www.firetechcamp.com, commented: “It’s disappointing but not really surprising to see just how underrepresented women are within the tech industry, and how this is contributing to the digital skills gap in the UK. I am passionate about what we do at Fire Tech and I want students to gain the skills and confidence from an early age to see themselves as tech leaders. By giving young people engaging, relevant projects and then empowering them with the tech skills to build something new, we can help girls and kids from other underrepresented groups the sense that these opportunities are wide open for them.”
“At Fire Tech, we don’t just want children to learn for the sake of learning, we want them to truly become curious about creating and problem solving with tech, and see how they can be part of a much wider community of students who share their interests. By getting young people together to build projects that are important to them, we can spark them to learn new skills that will spark a lifelong interest that can actually change their lives and give them access to so many opportunities. I believe if we can instil this within students from a young age, the possibilities for them are endless – not just to help minimise the digital skills gap, but so they have the skills and confidence to take on the world.”
