Women in IT : The facts

Catherine Ashcraft, Ph.D. and Sarah Blithe National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) We thank the NCWIT Workforce Alliance for its support for this report. The authors thank Jenny Slade, Stephanie Hamilton, Caroline Simard, Jerri Barrett, and the Workforce Alliance Practices Committee for their helpful feedback in preparing this report. ©National Center for Women & Information Technology, 2009; updated April 2010. www.ncwit.org If current trends continue, by 2018 the information technology industry will only be able to fll half of its available jobs. women in it: the factsacts About This Report The technology industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. The United States Department of Labor estimates that by 2018 there will be Technical more than 1.4 million total new computing-related job openings when innovation considering growth and replacement needs. Technology job opportunities are predicted to grow at a faster rate than all other jobs in the professionalwill play a critical role 1sector, or up to 22 percent over the next decade.in virtually every sector of the U.S. and Highly-qualifed women are well-positioned to move into these open jobs, global economy. yet the industry is failing to attract this talent. Furthermore, women already employed in the technology industry are leaving at staggering rates. Failing to capitalize on this talent threatens U.S. productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.