Conscious or unconscious bias as well as structural barriers are holding tech diversity back, new research from the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology reveals.

Despite being a growing, dynamic industry in the UK, tech continues to struggle with diversity, inclusion, and skills gaps in a rapidly changing technical landscape and an evolving global ethos.

While recruitment along entry-level positions has been more diverse, this tends to dissipate when it comes to mid-career and leadership levels, the research shows.

The UK government report cited a Kapor Center study which found that the most frequently cited reason for US tech workers exiting the industry was unfair treatment (37%). This was more commonly cited by men of colour, women of all backgrounds, and the LGBT community, the study found.

Gender 

Gender diversity in the UK tech sector remains low, as women comprise only 21% of the tech industry. In some subsects of tech, this is even mor stark – 21% of data centres, for instance, have no women operating in a technical function at all.

The UK government cited a Fawcett Society 2023 report that found a fifth of men in tech believe women to be innately less suited for tech roles. Additionally, a ‘tech bro’ culture was sited, which creates a more exclusionary culture, and perpetuates stereotypes.

Coupling this with structural barriers, such as a lack of workplace flexibility, were sited as leading to higher attrition rates among women, caregivers, and those requiring adaptations in their work structure.

However, these commonly cited contributors to a lack of gender diversity in tech often ring flat. If just over 50% of UK doctors are women, why are women leaving tech over a lack of flexible work when more tech roles offer work from home options than the medical field? A 2021 UK-wide study of women doctors found that 91% reported sexism at work, but despite this, they now make up a majority of the sector.

In tech, a third of women are planning to exit their roles over a lack of career progression, a lack of work-life balance, and an unsupportive culture. However, this seems in line with industry standards – Harvey Nash found that in 2024, 50% of UK tech workers planned to leave their roles in the next twelve months, with most citing a search for more money, and other looking for a better workplace culture.

Ethnic Minorities

In the UK, only 21% of IT specialists identify as Black, Asian, or as an other ethnic minority, where as the workforce as a whole reported at 15%. At the senior level, this drops to just 10%.

Industry reports also show that BAME individuals were more likely to work in non-permanent roles than their white counterparts, which could also contribute to a lack of retention.

Unemployment rates among BAME IT specialists was also more than three times higher than that of their white counterparts, and made up 44% of all unemployed IT specialists in 2023.

While efforts to improve ethnic diversity among all companies increased due to pressure from the Black Lives Matter movement, as governments shifted and priorities changed, more and more tech companies dissolved their Diversity, Ethnic, and Inclusion initiatives either to cut costs or appease conservative leaders.

Recommended reading

• Diversity in Tech Report 2024 | Key Data and Insights
• Female Representation in Tech Increases by 1% in Four Years
• BCS: Half A Million Women Missing From IT Sector

Disabilities

While disability representation in the tech sector has grown, reaching 14%, disclosure remains and issue as people doubt the supportiveness of their environments. The same rings true for Neurodivergent people, as only 25% of neurodiverse tech workers thing their company celebrates neurodiversity.

With limited tracking on disabled and neurodivergent people in the tech industry, is it difficult to track progress, the report admitted.

LBTQI+

Representation remains “limited” for LGBTQI+ people in the tech industry, the report said. DSIT cited a fear of harassment and discrimination contributing to lower disclosure rates. The UK Supreme Court’s decision to discern people’s gender by biological sex assigned at birth may also be contributing to an overarching fear among the transgender community in the UK, which could affect reporting figures.

“While the UK tech industry has progressed, a more strategic and unified approach is required to dismantle deeply embedded barriers to inclusion,” the report said.

“Through accountability, structural change, and a commitment to fostering a genuinely inclusive culture, the tech industry can not only enhance diversity but also foster innovation, ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global tech landscape.”