Study from NTT DATA and NLB Shows 62% of India Employers Intend to Hire More Women in STEM in FY 2023-24

• Women are increasing their enrollment in STEM courses as they acquire additional skills demanded by today's jobs (55%), career progression (26%), and prepare for their dream job (16%)
• 38% of employers plan to increase their STEM women's representation by up to 20%
• NTT DATA and Next Level Business Services announce month-long hackathon for women IT professionals from March 08 to April 16^th, 2023

ATLANTA, March 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As of 2022, women account for 28% of the STEM workforce in the U.S. and almost 26.7% of the entire IT workforce.

A sizable portion of scientists and engineers in the U.S. are of Indian origin. As per recent reports, about a million of them are scientists and engineers. More than 70% of H-1B visas - work permits for foreigners - issued by the US go to Indian software engineers, and 40% of all foreign-born engineers in cities like Seattle are from India.

As India contributes nearly 31.7% of the world's total STEM graduates, the Indian women workforce (nearly 56%) too is gearing up for ambitious career opportunities, states 'Bridging the Skills Gap – Towards an Equal Workplace', a comprehensive research report by NTT DATA – a digital business and IT services leader, and Next Level Business Services (NLB) – leading technology and digital talent solutions provider. Interestingly, the majority of employers surveyed (62%) intend to hire more women enrolled in STEM courses in 2023-24 as compared to the previous year.

Speaking on the report, Sachin Alug, CEO, Next Level Business Services, said, "The domain of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has long been suffering from a massive gender disparity. With women representing just about a quarter of the STEM workforce globally, it's time we set out to answer the burning questions pertaining to this divide. We're proud to partner with NTT DATA to delve deeper into the situation behind the gender gap in STEM and shed light on some key data and insights through a study of women in STEM."

According to Terri Hatcher, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at NTT DATA, "As a leader in digital business and IT services, we strongly believe that promoting gender diversity is not only a social responsibility but also a crucial business imperative, as it plays a significant role in fostering innovation and driving revenue growth. We are encouraged by the findings of this survey, which demonstrate that a majority of employers (58%) recognize the positive impact of gender diversity in the workplace. At NTT DATA, we aim to create equal career opportunities for women and empower them to thrive in the digital world through our 'Bridge The Gap' hackathon and other initiatives. We believe, by hiring more women in STEM, we can tap into a pool of talent that has historically been underrepresented in these fields, and benefit from their unique perspectives and experiences."

From the employer's perspective, 54% of the employers surveyed believe that STEM education will significantly reduce the skill gap, while, 58% of employers think that gender diversity can lead to higher revenue growth and the acquisition of top talent. Interestingly, nearly 31% of employers plan to initiate programs to attract women returning to the workplace, boosting gender diversity.

Additionally, NTT DATA and Next Level Business Services jointly announced a Hackathon titled, 'Bridge The Gap' targeted towards women IT professionals for the second consecutive year. Through this initiative, NTT DATA and Next Level Business Services aim to bridge the women's participation gap in the IT sector. The month-long hackathon will be hosted from March 08, 2023, to April 16, 2023, offering women tech professionals a platform to showcase their skills. The hackathon has been conceptualized in line with this year's theme of International Women's Day - #EmbraceEquity. 

The study surveyed a total sample size of 250 employers from different organizations of 12 sectors spread across 15 Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Furthermore, the study surveyed 500 women employees from organizations of various sizes, sectors, and cities in India.

The full report can be downloaded from the following link: https://www.nlbservices.com/bridging-the-skills-gap-report/

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SOURCE NLB Services