15 March 2017

Manchester Digital MD Katie Gallagher says everybody has to play their part to solve the skills shortage.

The gender gap in the north’s digital technology sector is continuing to widen, according to the results of Manchester Digital’s annual digital skills audit.

Manchester Digital is the independent trade association for the digital sector in north-west England. In its audit of more than 250 local digital and technology businesses, it found that workforces split 72:28 male to female, compared with 60:40 last year.

The association says the disparity is even more prevalent when it comes to technical roles, where the male to female split is 88:12, up from 70:30 last year.

In addition, more than half of the businesses surveyed said their tech teams are all male.

Despite these imbalances, Manchester Digital says companies in the region are still struggling to fill technical positions. The study reveals that developer roles were the most difficult to fill for the fourth year in a row, with one in three businesses saying they had struggled to recruit here.

Furthermore, local firms are still having to inflate salaries in order to secure talent, with the report uncovering above average wage inflation. Just over half said they’d had to inflate salaries to compete, compared to 44 per cent in 2016.

Manchester Digital MD Katie Gallagher says the solution to the skills shortage is “multi-faceted” and needs everyone to play their part. “We believe the will is there, but government policy and lack of investment still hinder the implementation and scaling up of the solutions that will really deliver change.”

She adds that Manchester Digital will continue working with relevant groups who champion minorities and diversity in the sector.