What More Can Be Done to Increase Diversity Within the UK Tech Sector?

Diversity in the UK tech sector remains a critical yet underachieved goal. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of inclusive workforces for fostering innovation, driving economic performance and reflecting the society technology serves, progress has been uneven and, in some areas, painfully slow.

In 2025, technology is at the heart of the UK’s economy and social infrastructure. Yet, the sector does not adequately reflect the diversity of the population. Addressing this imbalance is not merely a matter of fairness; it is an economic and strategic imperative. Diverse teams consistently outperform homogenous ones, bringing a wider range of ideas, perspectives and problem-solving approaches that are vital for innovation.

Within this article we explore the current state of diversity in UK tech, examines the barriers that remain and consider what more can be done-practically and systemically-to make the sector more inclusive and equitable.

*

The Current Landscape of Diversity in UK Tech

The UK tech industry continues to be dominated by white, male, middle-class professionals. While some improvements have been made, particularly in the areas of gender representation and ethnic minority recruitment at entry levels, significant disparities persist across senior leadership, pay equity, and career progression.

Gender: Women make up just under 26% of the tech workforce with far fewer represented in senior or technical roles such as software engineering and AI development.

Ethnicity: Black professionals account for around 3% of the tech workforce a figure that has seen only marginal growth over the past five years.

Disability and Neurodiversity: Representation is limited and many with disabilities report a lack of adequate support or inclusive workplace practices.

Socio-economic Background: The sector continues to favour candidates from more affluent backgrounds in part due to barriers in access to digital skills training and professional networks.

The gaps are widest in senior leadership where decision-making power and influence lie. Start-ups and scale-ups often fare worse than larger firms in implementing structured diversity policies due in part to limited HR resources and rapid growth environments that deprioritise long-term inclusivity planning.

*

Key Barriers to Diversity

Several interlinked barriers continue to prevent diverse talent from entering, remaining, and thriving within the tech sector:

Early Access and Education: Disparities begin in school where access to computing education, digital tools and STEM encouragement is uneven. Pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to study computer science or be exposed to tech career paths.

Hiring Practices and Bias: Recruitment processes often favour those who ‘fit’ existing organisational cultures-typically white, male and degree-educated candidates. Unconscious bias in CV screening, interview techniques and cultural expectations limits opportunity for others.

Workplace Culture and Inclusion: Many underrepresented professionals report feeling isolated, undervalued or subject to microaggressions. Without inclusive cultures retention becomes a challenge particularly for women and ethnic minority staff.

Lack of Role Models and Mentorship: The absence of visible leaders from diverse backgrounds can discourage entry into or progression within the field. Mentorship opportunities remain scarce or inaccessible to those outside traditional networks.

These barriers are not insurmountable, but they require coordinated, long-term efforts to dismantle and reform. Without addressing these root causes, diversity efforts risk becoming tokenistic rather than transformative.

Best Practices and Successful Initiatives

Despite ongoing challenges a number of organisations across the UK tech sector are demonstrating what works when it comes to improving diversity:

Inclusive Hiring Practices: Some companies have adopted blind recruitment, skills-based assessments and structured interviews to mitigate bias in hiring. This has helped broaden candidate pools and reduce unconscious discrimination.

Diversity Reporting and Accountability: Many organisations now have measurable diversity targets and publish regular reports on progress. For example, Deloitte and Accenture have introduced public transparency frameworks to monitor representation at all levels, including pay gaps.

Apprenticeships and Alternative Pathways: Initiatives such as Code First Girls offer training and career entry points for individuals without traditional academic routes. These have opened the door to tech roles for people from underrepresented socio-economic backgrounds.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Mentorship: Internal groups supporting women, LGBTQ+ staff, ethnic minorities and neurodiverse employees are growing. Structured mentorship programmes have also been shown to significantly improve career progression and retention.

These examples show that when diversity is prioritised strategically, organisations can make tangible progress. Success typically hinges on leadership buy-in, adequate resourcing, and a culture of continuous learning and reflection.

*

Policy and Industry-Level Solutions

To create sector-wide change action is required not just within individual companies but across the ecosystem:

Education Reform and Early Outreach: There’s a need to invest in computing education in state schools, particularly in underserved areas. Programmes like STEM Ambassadors and the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s outreach work are helping, but require more sustained funding and collaboration with industry.

Government Support and Regulation: Government-led diversity standards and incentives-such as tax breaks or public procurement rules that favour inclusive companies can drive systemic improvement. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has been encouraged to adopt a more active role in setting diversity benchmarks.

Public-Private Partnerships: Collaboration between tech companies, educational institutions and non-profits can scale impact.

Data Collection and Transparency: Improved data collection on race, gender, disability and other protected characteristics across the sector is essential. Without robust, disaggregated data, it is difficult to set goals, measure progress or identify where interventions are needed most.

*

The UK tech sector stands at a crossroads. While awareness of the importance of diversity is higher than ever, real progress depends on sustained, measurable action. It is no longer sufficient to rely on goodwill or voluntary initiatives alone-systemic – industry-wide change is needed.

Increasing diversity in tech is not just about who gets hired; it’s about creating environments where people from all backgrounds feel valued, supported and able to thrive. From reforming hiring practices to investing in early education and holding companies accountable for inclusion, there is much more to be done.

With deliberate and coordinated effort, the UK can build a tech sector that is truly innovative, resilient and reflective of the diverse society it serves.