Rate of women being hired into top jobs falls for third year running

Independent

11-06-2025

The rate of women being hired into UK leadership roles has fallen for the third year in a row, with increasing barriers to top jobs as they advance through their careers, according to figures from LinkedIn.
The professional networking site revealed that women were hired into just more than a third – 36.8% – of leadership positions in the year to March 1, down 2.1% year-on-year.
This has left the rate of female hires into senior roles back where it was in 2020, according to the figures.
The data also showed that while more UK women are now in top management roles than they were in 2019 – at 30.9% last year versus 27.6% in 2019 – the progress has slowed significantly in the past two years, rising by just 0.3 percentage points.
The figures suggest it becomes more difficult for older generations to reach senior management, with 19.4% of so-called baby boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – in these roles compared with 28.9% for gen X, 36.7% for millennials and 39.3% for gen Z.
The statistics, compiled by analysing the group's 43 million-strong membership base across the UK, also show that, as of March, women made up 45.8% of hires in the UK, down 4.6% year-on-year.
Globally, the figures paint a similar picture, revealing that less than a third of senior leadership roles are held by women (30.9%) despite making up almost half (43.2%) of the worldwide workforce.
This 'drop to the top' is most pronounced in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) sector, where only around one in eight (12%) of leadership positions are held by women, according to LinkedIn.
It is calling for the Government and businesses to promote hiring based on skills rather than qualifications to help ensure women do not get left behind, in particular amid the shift towards artificial intelligence (AI).
Janine Chamberlin, head of LinkedIn UK, said: 'Just as AI is reshaping the workplace and demanding more adaptable, collaborative leadership, we're seeing women's progress into senior roles stall for the third year running.
'Women are 20% more likely to have that multi-domain experience, working across different industries and functions, which creates exactly the kind of flexible, agile leaders businesses need for AI transformation.
'Yet we're locking them out of leadership precisely when we need those skills most.'
The online giant believes that a skills-based approach to hiring – through prioritising skills over qualifications in recruitment – could broaden the talent pool for women by 6.3 times globally.