The study showed that there is a significant under-representation of women in STEM careersFuturestep division of Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY), the preeminent global people and organisational advisory firm, found that 63 per cent of executives said that having more women in STEM careers would have a “great impact” on their company’s bottom line.
Within the recruitment process however, research showed that less than 30 percent of respondents say their company required at least one female candidate as part of the process for hiring STEM employees.
Managing Consultant Digital, EMEA, Futurestep, Joanne Cumper, said: “Clients who understand the positive cultural and financial impact of having women in STEM roles often require that women candidates be included in the recruiting mix.
“This doesn’t mean that the women will get preferential treatment, it simply helps create a diverse pool from which to choose.”
According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), women comprise 69 percent of the UK workforce, but just 13 percent of STEM work force is made up of women.
In the Futurestep survey, nearly 1,000 respondents said STEM careers are being considered by less than a quarter of the high school girls and college women they know (e.g. children, grandchildren, children of friends/colleagues).
Cumper added: “There are many reasons why today’s companies have a low percentage of female STEM workers, including the fact that fewer young women than young men are choosing this field as their college major and profession. The silver lining though, is that we do see a slow but positive trend for more women in these roles.”
59 percent of respondents said that there are more women in STEM careers in their organisation compared to five years ago. In addition, 58 percent said having an employee referral program targeted toward women STEM recruits would have a great impact on finding qualified candidates.
“We see that companies that make diversity efforts core to their recruiting and retention strategies have a better chance of attracting and keeping the most dedicated, engaged and productive employees.
“It’s no surprise that our survey respondents say that they expect having more women STEM employees will have a positive impact on financial performance,” said Cumper.
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