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Forty percent of IT businesses plan to hire more women , despite widespread skills shortage
Only four in 10 businesses have plans in place to hire more women , despite professionals recognising the skills shortage in the IT sector , according to a new study from ISACA .
While 75 % of businesses admit that attracting and retaining talent is a challenge , female IT professionals continue to feel excluded with 43 % of respondents citing the male dominance of role models and leaders as a major reason for the underrepresentation in tech roles .
More then half of women have called for more mentors and role models .
Additional issues such as pay inequalities were revealed by 42 % of women , though only 15 % of men acknowledged this gap .
Men in leadership roles also reported a higher sense of authority , especially in areas like purchasing decisions and company strategy .
Despite challenges , the study showed that 68 % of women are satisfied with their career progression , with 73 % receiving raises or promotions in recent years , compared to 71 % of men . However , obstacles such as a lack of awareness , role models and inclusive hiring practices continue to limit opportunities for women in the tech industry .
Antonia Walt , Chief for Client Experience at AND Digital , said : “ The lack of women in tech isn ’ t just a diversity issue for the industry but a talent crisis and if we want to solve the UK skills shortage , businesses must not only hire women but also empower them to lead . The facts are , women love tech but while 90 % of female tech leaders report finding their careers rewarding , 80 % have encountered significant hurdles .”
Artificial Intelligence is coming for one in 10 jobs , with senior roles most at risk
A new global survey of 252 senior executives within dedicated
IT and AI functions enterprises by Verdantix , an independent research and advisory firm , has revealed more than half ( 53 %) of businesses expect 10 % of job roles to be replaced by AI agents in the next five years . And even more ( 62 %) expect significant benefits from AI projects in the next three years to come from cost savings through elimination of management roles , more so than through savings from the elimination of frontline worker roles .
Crucially , though corporate investment in AI is accelerating , with 53 % of firms expecting budgets for AI projects to grow by 10 – 24 % in the next year alone , respondents ’ answers show caution about relying on tech autonomously . Very few respondents ( 11 %) think we will create computers with the same intelligence as humans , even by 2030 .
Sales , marketing and customer service will see more AI-related projects than any other professions this year ( 28 %), suggesting a higher level of comfort with AI adoption , though indicating jobs in these departments could be most at risk as AI integration matures .
Despite job replacement predictions in the medium term , in the immediate term , AIs are collaborating with rather than entirely replacing their human colleagues . Far more organisations have already deployed ‘ AI in the human loop ’ such as chat , research and creative writing ( 72 %) than domain-specific autonomous AI agents ( 37 %). Similarly , adoption of human / AI co-pilots is expected to grow , particularly across transport with 67 % expecting human / AI co-pilots in maritime , railways , subways and trams and aerospace & defence by 2025 .
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