Blog
Diversity and Inclusion Tech Events | 2019

Every UK industry sector is now reliant on technology, and our future is increasingly tied to it
The IT and Tech Industry in the UK continues to struggle to hire the staff it needs, however, to keep up with the pace of change
Intelligent tech companies are keen to hire from a more diverse and inclusive pool of talent to broaden their chances of employing creative and innovative staff and continuing to compete in the marketplace
So if tech companies are keen to hire for diversity and inclusion – are they achieving it?
The answer, in short, is a resounding ‘NO’
Diversity and Inclusion in the UK Tech Sector
The UK Tech sector has a worrying lack of diversity amongst its senior leadership in large tech firms with only 8.5% from a minority background and 12.6% female in comparison to a better balance in FTSE 100 businesses. In London, the situation is even worse proportionally where the majority of tech jobs are located while more than 40% of the population come from a minority ethnic background (according to an analysis by The Guardian)
We investigated Women in Tech earlier in the year in our How to hire more women in Tech blog looking at what can be done to address the imbalance. But it shouldn’t be just about hiring more women but the opportunity to embrace every community and group in society to prepare for the future.
The employment gap for people with disabilities has shrunk over the last year from 49.8% to 51.3 % which is encouraging (see UK Government briefing) but there are still only 17% of people with Autism in full-time employment – many of whom may well suit a career in technology
Acknowledging the issues and gaps that exist is the first step for tech companies, and many are on that path. It is vital that there is awareness in all companies – that they get in the right headspace, get in the conversation and take real action to improve the equilibrium and hire right for the future
And to get in the conversation companies need to get out there! To help you know what is going on and where the conversation is happening, we’ve compiled a list of all the UK’s Tech Diversity and Inclusion events for 2019, so you know what is happening when and where
Whatever your background – get involved now and help the tech industry grow and prepare for a fairer and productive future
Added 1-Apr-2019