Baroness Stedman-Scott, the UK’s Minister for Women, has announced two new initiatives that aim to improve employment opportunities for women, who have experienced the bulk of job-related losses throughout the pandemic.
The program focuses on improving pay transparency when applying for jobs, while also helping businesses attract women professionals to work at their company.
According to a survey from job review site Glassdoor, 67% of respondents said that salary transparency was the most important factor in a job posting.
The UK government will pilot this program, allowing participating employers to post salary details on job postings and nix salary inquiries when recruiting new candidates.
Additionally, the government will kick off a returners initiative to usher women back into the STEM industry, which is largely male dominated. Through this program, companies will be provided training and development that will help them recruit and retain STEM professionals that may be neglected due to resume gaps.
The 2021 STEM Returners index survey showed that 61% of returners felt that trying to reenter the industry is difficult or very difficult.
“We believe that increased pay transparency will build on positive evidence of the role information can play when it comes to empowering women in the workplace. It is essential that we keep women at the forefront of the levelling up agenda as we recover from the pandemic and rebuild together,” said Stedman-Scott. “Our second announcement, supporting skilled women to return to STEM careers after care leave, will keep talented minds in STEM and improve the representation of women and marginalised communities in those incredibly important roles.”
