More women to take on IT leadership roles starting this year

They are finally shattering the glass ceiling.

Women working in Singapore’s IT sector are facing bright career prospects, with many chief information officers (CIOs) in the country projecting that women will take more staff and leadership roles in the industry.

Research by specialist recruiter Robert Half reveals that Singaporean sentiment is shifting more favourably towards women in technology, which has traditionally been a male-dominated sector. More than one in four (25%) Singaporean CIOs forecast that the number of women in IT staff and leadership roles will be on par with men.

Conducted in conjunction with the International Women’s Day, the research also shows that more than half (52%) of CIOs see women gaining equal ground with men for staff-level roles but predict men to retain the majority of leadership roles.

“The IT sector is being confronted with severe skills shortages, making it more pertinent to promote it as an attractive career choice particularly among women, who are still underrepresented in the sector,” said Matthieu Imbert-Bouchard, Managing Director of Robert Half Singapore.

Robert Half’s findings highlight that majority of Singaporean CIOs find it difficult to find skilled talent, with demand outweighing supply and employers scrambling to attract qualified professionals. The Singaporean government projects that in 2017, the IT industry will require a further 15,000 jobs—a figure that will double by 2020.

Imbert-Bouchard said this means Singaporean companies must encourage more workplace diversity in order to address the skills gap. “Attaining gender diversity within the IT sector will result in more diverse skillsets and a wider IT talent pool, which in turn will benefit the business,” he added.