Research shows there is still a significant gap in equality among men and women across most job sectors.
In a statement recently released, CareerJunction says gender equity is not only the “right” thing to do, but it also makes business sense. “Corporates that don’t prioritise attracting and retaining female talent may be missing out. Looking at male and female job seekers, our data reveals that job sectors like manufacturing, construction and design and marketing seem to have more female job seekers than male job seekers with tertiary qualifications,” the recruitment company says.
According to CareerJunction, having a strong representation of women in senior roles creates less gender discrimination in the employment process and a greater retention rate: “Companies with women in senior leadership roles often experience the phenomenon of ‘innovation intensity’, producing 20 percent more patents than teams with male leaders. More female representation within organisations is also associated with higher status.”
CareerJunction notes that while the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world of work and ushered in a ‘new normal’, it has also presented corporate companies with new opportunities to level the playing field and create greater gender equality in the future.
Creating more remote/hybrid work opportunities
According to the company, women desire flexibility in terms of where, when, and how they work: “Historically women have been disadvantaged when applying for certain roles because they often must juggle multiple roles as spouse, mother or caregiver while simultaneously pursuing a career.”
The shift from traditional office-based employment means that companies can now access a wider pool of talent by creating remote/hybrid job opportunities for women. The report says significantly more women are applying for remote roles than men in several job categories. For example, female applications increased by 368 percent for teaching jobs with the work from home option, while male applications increased by 119 percent for remote teaching jobs.
Industries attracting South Africa’s top female talent
According to CareerJunction, the top three fastest growing job sectors over the last 12 months were admin, office and support, the legal sector as well as the marketing sector, followed by the architecture and engineering and design, media and arts sectors.
“Looking at these top three fastest growing sectors in terms of recruitment, female applicants are taking the lead since most applicants across these sectors were female. If your organisation falls within one of these sectors, you could be well placed to attract quality female candidates when you place a job advert,” reads the statement.
