Equality for Women in Recruitment and Manufacturing

Words: Courtney Steele, Founder & Operations Director at Alexander Steele

“Despite women making up almost half of the UK workforce, we still have a long way to go to achieve gender equality within the recruitment and manufacturing sectors.

 

Sadly, there is a 70% difference between male and female representation in the manufacturing industry, with the overall workforce being composed of 85% men. However, this presents recruiters with a great opportunity; they must be responsible for driving that change.”

 

The way the manufacturing industry adapted during the pandemic demonstrated that the organisations within this sector are resilient and the industry is doing well. Consumer goods remains the largest manufacturing sector in the UK and by placing the right talent in the right businesses, this will continue for decades to come – but how do businesses ensure that they are increasing their talent pool by appealing to both men and women? What happens when there is a deficit of women applying for roles within manufacturing? The onus must be on the recruitment agencies, and the manufacturing businesses they recruit for, to create positions and an environment that will appeal to women across all levels.

 

Alexander Steele is leading the way. Across their offices in Edinburgh and Manchester they know that to see the change, you need to be the change. It is at the heart of what they do to place importance on gender equality within their own business and offer equal pay at all levels. For every position they recruit for internally, they try to interview an equal number of women and men for the roles and offer salaries based solely upon experience and responsibilities.

 

Today, companies must practise inclusive hiring and it’s a recruiter’s responsibility to ensure standards are being exceeded. Alexander Steele educates their clients on best practices and ensure this is rolled out for every vacancy. They also encourage their clients to consider carefully the way in which a role will appeal to all, and discuss with them their structure and environment in order to promote equal opportunities.

 

Balancing a workforce is what will ultimately drive sales and growth. Adaptability is one of the core values at Alexander Steele, and women are often the out-of-the-box thinkers needed for the job. Men and women have different perspectives and when they bring fresh ideas to the table and adjust processes, the business thrives as a result.

 

Gender equality in the workforce starts with adequate representation in leadership. Just a few years ago there was a distinct lack of board level, female role models in the staffing industry; but this is changing and is another area in which Alexander Steele is leading the way. As a female Director, founder Courtney Steele focuses on equipping her female employees with the skills, guidance, motivation and support they need to help them climb the ladder.

 

Many candidates Alexander Steele speaks to, looking for a role within recruitment, express a hesitation to recruit within an industry so heavily male dominated but the business finds that often the female recruiter in manufacturing has the edge. In a world of male voices, women represent a different point of view. If we want to encourage more women into manufacturing roles, who better to communicate that, than women themselves?

Unlike recruitment within service industries, consumer goods is proven to thrive throughout economic challenges; as long as people continue to eat and drink, a business continues to thrive – not to mention, salaries within manufacturing sit 12% higher than in the rest of the economy. It is a fast-moving and exciting industry to work within. The sector sees new products and consumer trends before the rest of the world, they witness the emergence of brands and their growth and work alongside these businesses to expand teams and combat demand.