Singapore's tech employers predict it'll only get worse
In the lead up to International Women’s Day on Friday, March 8, numbers from the Singapore government highlight that women account for 30% of info-communications professionals in Singapore, growing by just 1% since 2010.
Simultaneously, independent research from Robert Half reveals 87% of Singaporean CIOs currently find it more challenging to source qualified IT professionals compared to five years ago, and 89% forecast it will be even more challenging over the next five years.
With the growth of employed infocomm professionals growing 5.2% year-on-year, the surging demand for skilled IT professionals further highlights the urgency to address the industry’s skills shortage and the need to encourage more professionals, including women to pursue a career in IT.
“While a career in IT has never been more attractive, the gender disparity within the sector continues,” said Fen Teo, associate director at Robert Half Singapore.
“More needs to be done to boost the number of women in technology as they can help alleviate the current IT talent shortage – a challenge that needs to be tackled by a comprehensive approach where educational institutions, the business community and government initiatives work alongside one another.
“Nurturing their interest through education and mentoring programs can help assist women in identifying rewarding IT career opportunities.”
