Shortfall of over 29,000 female electricians in the UK REVEALED
Posted by: electime 12th March 2024
Electricians have the biggest disparity between expected and actual female workers in the UK, at a staggering 29,448 women, new research has revealed.
Following the news that female representation has reached a record high of 15.8 per cent in construction ahead of Women in Construction Week, new research analysed different roles in the industry to compare the expected female representation with reality.
This research showed there should be 33,022 female electricians, but the actual figure in the UK is just 3,574, a difference of 29,448.
Electricians also have the second-lowest representation of women in construction roles in the UK, with only 1.7 per cent.
Based on this research, there should be an estimated 118,460 women in the top ten trade roles, but the actual figure in the UK is just 19,560, a massive shortage of 98,900.
The second job role with the biggest disparity is plumbers with a 26,158 deficit of women, and then carpenters and joiners (13,191 deficit).
These jobs have the lowest percentage representation of women in construction, with just 1.1 per cent of carpenters and 2 per cent of plumbers.
The three jobs with the smallest deficit of female workers are glaziers (1,370), plasterers (1,871), and roles in floor and wall covering (2,493), while painters and decorators have the biggest percentage of female tradespeople (5.1 per cent).
The full results of the metals4U research are as follows:
| Position | Role | Expected female employees | Actual female employees | Difference |
| 1. | Electrician | 33,022 | 3,574 | -29,448 |
| 2. | Plumber | 29,862 | 3,704 | -26,158 |
| 3. | Carpenter/joiner | 14,139 | 949 | -13,191 |
| 4. | Bricklayer | 15,519 | 4,214 | -11,305 |
| 5. | Roofer | 6,348 | 1,724 | -4,624 |
| 6. | Painter | 6,322 | 2,041 | -4,281 |
| 7. | Scaffolder | 5,709 | 1,550 | -4,159 |
| 8. | Floor & wall covering | 3,293 | 800 | -2,493 |
| 9. | Plasterer | 2,471 | 601 | -1,871 |
| 10. | Glazier | 1,774 | 404 | -1,370 |
Paul McFadyen, Chairman of metals4U commented, “It’s fantastic to see women represented in construction at the highest level in recorded history, but this clearly hasn’t filtered down to many of the top trades yet.
“While the industry has taken significant steps forward and made considerable progress in gender equality, there is still some way to go to improve female representation across all roles.”
To find out more about metals4U and how it supports and supplies electricians and other tradespeople, visit the website.
