Thousands of Women in the UK Tech Industry Quitting Their Jobs
The digital sector in the UK is facing a significant challenge, with thousands of women leaving their jobs each year. According to the 2025 Lovelace Report, published by Oliver Wyman and WeAreTechWomen, between 40,000 and 60,000 women depart from the industry annually, causing an economic loss of £2 billion to £3.5 billion each year.
The report highlights the need for change, particularly in addressing the glass ceiling that hinders women's career advancement. It is reported that women in the digital sector wait 3 to 4 years for promotions, compared to the industry average of 2 years.
To prevent this talent exodus, the report suggests increasing transparency in promotion decisions and ensuring equal pay based solely on skills. It also emphasizes the importance of monitoring career stagnation and providing concrete advancement opportunities, as well as ensuring fair access to high-impact work.
Companies are recommended to track career progression and intervene early by monitoring gender-disaggregated career metrics and providing targeted support. They are also encouraged to define and embed clear career maps with structured progression frameworks linked to pay and capability at every level. Furthermore, allocating strategic projects based on skill and potential rather than familiarity, and conducting audits to identify and address bias in project assignments, are key actions proposed by the report.
The report also sheds light on the reasons for job departures. Over half of the women surveyed reported that their careers did not progress as expected, while lack of career progression opportunities, inadequate salary, and lack of recognition were cited as other reasons. Lack of recognition is another significant issue, with 17% of surveyed women reporting this as a reason for their departure.
Despite the report's suggestions, it does not specify specific actions for companies to prevent women's departures from the UK's tech industry. Nor does it provide specific actions to address the glass ceiling hindering women's career advancement. However, the report emphasizes that fixing outdated structures and proactively developing careers can help UK tech retain women leaders.
In conclusion, the 2025 Lovelace Report provides valuable insights into the challenges women face in the UK's digital sector and offers recommendations for companies to address these issues. By implementing these suggestions, the digital sector can work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable environment, reducing the talent exodus, and retaining women leaders.
- To foster a more equitable digital sector, a key focus should be on science, technology, and health-and-wellness industries, where initiatives could be launched to promote diversity and inclusion, especially for women's health.
- As the 2025 Lovelace Report suggests, businesses must consider implementing strategies to combat career stagnation in the digital sector, offering equality in financial compensation and opportunities for advancement.
- In an effort to maintain talent and reduce economic loss, the UK tech industry should closely examine women's careers and employ targeted interventions such as fair access to high-impact work, defined career maps, and eliminating project biases based on familiarity or gender.
- Apart from retaining women leaders, it's essential for the UK tech sector to explore opportunities in business and finance to foster a more diverse and inclusive environment that supports not just the continuity of talent but also the growth of tech-based and health-and-wellness enterprises, leading to innovation and prosperity in various industries.
