The report shows that there has been notable progress – particularly in the construction and technology sectors -but there is still significant room for improvement in gender inequality and employee satisfaction.

Despite the differences in the examined sectors, similar fundamental needs emerged from the interviews: 

• greater work-life balance, help with childcare costs, more manageable working hours, perceived parity of pay;

• equal opportunities for career progression and support during menopause;

• more female role models and mentors. 

The report also focuses on what employers do to support their employees in these sectors.

Increasing diversity and inclusion (not only gender-related) within an organisation is more commonly recognised as being of strategic importance for future success and innovation, leading to increased performance, improved profits, and lower attrition levels.

The report identifies some suggestions to improve D&I, such as: ensuring an inclusive recruitment process, fostering an inclusive culture, and weaving inclusion into the employee lifecycle.

There’s no room for a gender imbalance in a modern, talent-short job market, considering that employers from all industries, sizes, and sectors are already reporting major challenges in attracting and retaining the workers they need.

Employers need to focus on expanding their reach, tapping into diverse talent pools and reinvigorating hiring processes, supporting the unique needs of their workforce, and eliminating any remnants of a discriminatory culture that, as the report stresses, may remain

– and that have no part in a modern workplace.

Victoria Short, Randstad UK CEO, said:

"As we are now in a post-pandemic era, the onus is on business leaders to nurture the talent within, create a level playing field between the genders, and encourage more people into their respective sectors by listening to the needs of the employees already on their payroll. Only then do we stand a chance of plugging the skills gap

that is already threatening to overwhelm organisations around the country".