At Rockborne, we work with a range of organisations who are eager to improve the diversity of their workforces, but unfortunately when we consider the bigger picture, DEI seems to falling down the global agenda.
Our recent research, revealed that female representation in UK tech has only increased by 1% since 2020 (despite a 2% increase on last year’s figure). It also found that only 8% of respondents work for a company with diversity initiatives.
Sadly, our findings are not an anomaly, instead they are reflective of an emerging global narrative that a diverse workforce is a ‘nice to have’ rather than essential. In the tech industry in particular, this has been compounded by a string of stories from major companies such as Microsoft, Google and Meta, laying off DEI roles.
And the closure of the Tech Talent Charter after nine years, was just the latest red flag that certain companies are quiet-quitting DEI efforts. When closing, the organisation noted that: “Many in our networks are reporting that their organisation’s DEI strategies are becoming increasingly insular, and initiatives are being shelved to prioritise other business goals.”
Meanwhile, we know that small to mid-size businesses are struggling with rising costs and squeezed budgets, and therefore anything deemed as ‘an extra’ is often seen as a bridge too far.
And this comes at a time when diverse talent is falling out of the industry. Our research of over 6,500 data professionals and found that the number of Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic professionals in entry level data positions plummeted by more than half from 42% in 2022 to 12% in 2023. And entry-level female data professionals also more than halved from 35% to 11%.
This isn’t about naming and shaming – we know from experience how hard individual businesses are working to improve DEI – however it does point to an industry-wide issue that we cannot afford to let slip off our priority list as budgets become restricted.
Why could this be catastrophic for the tech industry?
Implications for tech development
Fostering diversity of thought will make any industry richer and businesses are sitting on a huge opportunity to benefit from the value that a diverse group of people can bring to the conversation, both in terms of increased innovation and profitability.
Experience has taught us that the best employees will not all come from the same background, or university. A lack of diverse perspectives in any industry is problematic, but in an industry such as data and tech that is so reliant on innovation, it could be disastrous to its future.
Without diversity of thought, innovations such as AI for example, could stall and biases may leak into the development AI models. For example, only 3% of CTOs in Forbes’ 50 List of Top AI Companies of 2024 are female.
We know the potential detrimental impacts of a lack of diverse voices in teams that build and develop new things. Take physical design as an example. Male architects of the past did not take into consideration that female bathrooms need to have more cubicles because there are always longer queues/higher demand for the female toilets, or that cars need to be made safer for non-male bodies. The people building these models need to tackle the gender bias that will undoubtedly appear in the models, because of its existence in society.
All employees will have natural, unconscious biases that will influence the way they scrutinize data and creep into their interpretations. This doesn’t make them a ‘bad’ person – we all have unconscious biases; we just need to be aware of them. Using different groups of individuals to analyse information and develop solutions will ensure that no perspective is neglected.
And that’s not to mention talent shortages
The tech sector is also facing a debilitating talent crisis (The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) estimates a shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the UK STEM sector. Against this backdrop, employers simply can’t afford to miss out on any pool of talent.
Employers need to be doing everything they can to ensure that they are keeping their doors open to the widest range of talent possible. By doing so, they will not only increase the volume of candidates they are receiving but also improve the quality of applicants, by reaching those from a range of backgrounds, with differing strengths.
So, what can the tech industry do to solve it?
Hire from bigger talent pools
More can be done to open up the sector to bigger talent pools. There have been improvements, but in tech, hiring is frequently heavily weighted towards those of a certain educational ‘ilk’ – typically STEM graduates from top UK universities – without consideration as to whether this background is necessary to carry out the role effectively. Our recent research, for example, found that 67% of data professionals studied a STEM subject.
Our experience at Rockborne has proved that those from non-STEM degrees, lower socio-economic backgrounds and other educational institutions can offer new perspectives and ideas, and still be trained to become just as technically capable as their STEM counterparts.
Where possible, hiring managers should approach their search with an open mind and take a fresh look at how to attract those who might not otherwise have considered this career path.
And until we eradicate issues such as the lingering gender pay gap, the data and AI industry is unlikely to be viewed as the destination of choice for global female talent. Our research found that the gender pay gap in the UK data industry widened in 2023, with men now earning 16% more than women in the same positions, up from 6% last year.
Review recruitment processes
A failure to diversify your workforce is a failure to foster an environment where good business decisions are likely to be made. With this in mind, employers need to focus on how their hiring processes may be unintentionally filtering out or failing to attract a wide range of candidates.
Employers in sectors such as tech often carry out lengthy recruitment processes because it is what they have always done, without considering if it’s needed, or the impact it might be having on the diversity of their workforce. Employers need to challenge themselves by asking ‘do we really need seven interviews for this role?’
If a candidate is already feeling ‘underqualified’ the prospect of enduring a complex and lengthy process might be intimidating enough to result in them dropping out of the race.
We also know that neurodiverse candidates struggle with lengthy testing processes, with surprise elements and psychometrics. So, at Rockborne we try to be very clear about what the process will be and give people plenty of time and information to prepare for every step.
Foster an “open ear” policy
When money is tight, the idea of siphoning funds into DEI strategies can seem a bridge too far. But improving inclusivity and building trust doesn’t have to cost money – instead it takes time, consistency, learning, and collaboration.
Often the most effective initiatives are those that you don’t throw money at but instead use insights gleaned from colleagues and friends to create a more inclusive environment.
At Rockborne, we try to foster an “open ear” policy. We listen and appreciate the breadth of backgrounds, experiences, and views of those around us. This openness has been embedded into our everyday practices, through a conscious effort.
For example, our Operations Director was speaking to a colleague who had used a plaster and commented on how visible it was against her skin tone. The next day we bought a variety of skin tone plasters for our first aid kits and have had numerous employees make positive comments about their availability since. Sometimes the easiest changes can make people feel heard and included.
Ultimately, for any industry to grow and thrive, it needs a steady stream of top-quality candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds – whether that be age, ethnicity, gender, schooling or experience – who can offer differing perspectives. For the tech sector to fulfil its potential, we must ensure that DEI doesn’t become an afterthought and that businesses are supported in making their workforces more diverse, even on a limited budget.
Waseem Ali is CEO of Rockborne, a programme focused on bringing diverse talent into the data industry. He is the former Chief Data Officer at Lloyd’s of London and has held numerous key data roles including as Head of Data and Analytics at Virgin Care. As a lover of building systems and with a burning desire to change the makeup of the data industry, Waseem jumped at the opportunity to join Rockborne in May 2021 as Chief Data Officer, before becoming CEO in October 2022.
Waseem is passionate about transforming the data industry by diversifying talent streams into the sector. He believes that this can be done by reaching candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds and training them not only in the technical skills required to be a data professional, but also furnishing them with the business knowledge to be able to add value to a business. Rockborne’s graduate scheme has been developed based on Waseem’s own experiences in the sector, ensuring that hiring processes are not daunting, for example by omitting lengthy maths tests which he believes can be ‘unhelpful’, and are accessible to those from a non-STEM background.
Over the next five years, he wants to change the face of the data industry by recruiting and training a new generation of diverse professionals, who may have never considered a career in data.
