Proportion of women in UK digital workforce falls to 27%

Down from 33% in 2002, the number of women in the digital sector is expected to rise back to 30% by 2022

Just 27% of those employed in Britain's digital industries are women, according to a new report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), a public body which aims to advise the government and others on those issues. The proportion is down from an already low figure of 33% in 2002, and well below the UK average of 47% for female employees.

The research highlights the continuing failure of the sector to train and retain female employees, particularly given the fact that Britain is expected to need 1.2 million new digital workers by 2022. More than 800,000 of those new workers will be needed to replace workers leaving the sector, while the rest will be needed to support expected growth.