LinkedIn reveals in its data included in the ‘Global Gender Gap Report’ of World Economic Forum in Spain The percentage of women being hired for leadership positions in 2024 is 34.5%, lower than in 2023, which was 34.7%, after the peak reached in 2022 (34.9%).
The situation in the country responds to a global problemwhere the percentage is 36.4% this year compared to 36.9% in 2023 and the same peak in 2022 with 37.5%. Thus, it is evident that Economic crises affect women morewho pay a high price for the economic weakening of the last two years and see the growth achieved in 2021 and 2022 slow down.
“Another year, we are witnesses of how the global economy disproportionately affected womenfurther increasing the systemic problems that prevent them from remaining in the workplace. The decrease in the percentage of women in leadership positions is worrying: “It is crucial to reverse the numbers as quickly as possible and not let female representation in top management continue to fall year after year, after the growth trend that reached its peak in 2022”, says Rosario Sierra, director of corporate business from LinkedIn Spain and Portugal. .
The consequences of the lack of gender balance in the labor market
These data show that the presence of women in the workplace is reduced as they become more senior in their roles: although these represent 49% of the Spanish workforce at entry or junior levels, this percentage is reduced to 34% in vice president positions and 24% in C-level positions. This data demonstrates this. not enough is being done to support women in their professional progression through, for example, remote or hybrid work policies, as they are more likely to seek this type of modality compared to men.
Likewise, it’s worth noting that, according to LinkedIn data, globally, industries with greater female representation at entry-levels see slower declines in female representation at increasingly higher levels. greater resilience to economic crises.
The sectors with the highest proportion of women in top management compared to entry levels are Consumer services (62%), Education (59%) and Public Administration (59%). Women see the most significant declines in top management in the real estate sector (43%). Financial Services (44%) and Supply Chain and Transport (46%).
The ‘Global Gender Gap Report 2024’ shows that this gender inequality at the sectoral level is mainly linked to Salary differences between men and women: These tend to receive lower wages in industries where they represent a larger proportion of the workforce.
The report also highlights that sectors with less than 50% female representation are more likely to show associations between the deterioration of labor markets and a lower proportion of senior hires by women.
‘Soft skills’ and AI as a driver for women’s growth
The slowdown in hiring women for leadership positions occurs despite the great evolution that women are experiencing to adapt to the current work environment. At a time when companies and professionals need to adapt quickly, ‘soft skills’ (personal and social skills that facilitate human relationships and allow them to function successfully in any area of life, including work) are highly sought after and it is women who have over 28% of the soft skills present on LinkedIn, including leadership and strategic and team collaboration, suggesting an opportunity to bridge the current gender gap.
Furthermore, the The percentage of Spanish women with knowledge of artificial intelligence increased from 18.9% in 2016 to 22.9% in 2023 (vs. global data from 24.9% in 2016 to 26.8% in 2023). Similarly, the presence of women in AI engineering has more than doubled since 2016, increasing at a faster rate than men and improving representation, although men continue to be the majority.
Pending matters
LinkedIn provides 5 aspects to consider to improve this decreasing data:
●Focus on skills when hiring: This can help women be at the forefront when applying for jobs. According to a LinkedIn study, women apply for jobs almost twice as often as men when shown how their skills match the job requirements, with a similar impact on hiring results.
●Promote inclusive and fair hiring, This may include using neutral language in job offers, creating multiple interviewer pools, and stopping asking for salaries for previous positions to reduce salaries in current negotiations.
●Commit to flexible working for all workers to alleviate caregiving tasks that disproportionately impact women.
●Include career growth plans with training and mentoring, especially in middle management positions
●Taking into account the gender perspective when improving AI qualifications; As the workplace transforms, we must ensure that training is delivered in a fair and equitable way.
To help professionals acquire the basic and soft skills needed for the most in-demand jobs, LinkedIn offers several free coursesamong which 50 new AI courses stand out. For more information, visit this website: opportunities.linkedin.com
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