EngineeringUK reveals ‘small but worrying’ spike in women leaving the industry

EngineeringUK analyses data on the engineering and technology workforce every year, and the most recent analysis has found that women in these roles has declined from 16.5 per cent to 15.7 per cent in the last year, representing a decrease of 38,000 women.

This is despite the overall proportion of engineering and technology occupations within the UK workforce remaining consistent at 19.2 per cent.

In stark comparison, women made up over half (56.1 per cent) of all other occupations combined. Analysis of the wider UK workforce does not show a similar drop or pattern of women leaving these other professions.

With this, EngineeringUK analysed the age of women in engineering and technology occupations compared to all other occupations for 2022 and 2023.

The research found that compared to 2022, there were around 22,000 more women working in engineering and technology occupations in the 16-24 and 25-34 age groups, but 66,000 fewer women working in those occupations between the ages of 35 and 64 years.