The
Government is to work with employers in the IT sector to look at how they
recruit and retain female staff.
Trade
& Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the initiative will help reverse
the under-representation of women in IT, where only one in five employees is
female, despite women making up nearly half of the nation’s workforce.
The
IT sector has grown by nearly 50 per cent over the past five years compared to
an average 8 per cent growth in other areas.
"Although
more women are now working than ever before, too many are low paid and too few
are well paid. I want to see more women in interesting, well-paid jobs and IT
is a great way to get there," Hewitt said.
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Other
measures include encouraging more schoolgirls to learn IT skills, informing
young women who are making their first career choice about IT opportunities, as
well as advising unemployed women and those on career breaks about the sector.
