UK Losing £3.5bn a Year as Women Exit Tech Sector
The 2025 Lovelace Report reveals that up to 60,000 women leave the UK tech industry each year, resulting in £3.5bn in lost productivity.
According to the report, between 40,000 and 60,000 women quit the industry annually, which is twice the rate of men. This exodus is undermining the country's ambitions to become a global leader in artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
Despite making up only 20% of the tech workforce, women are leaving at an alarming rate, with mid-career professionals being the hardest hit. The report's authors state that the problem is not that women are failing to enter tech, but that the system is failing to retain them.
- More than three-quarters of women with 11–20 years' experience have waited over three years for a promotion.
- Half of women in senior positions earn below-average pay for their seniority.
The problem is not that women are failing to enter tech, but that the system is failing to retain them.
Author's summary: The UK tech sector loses £3.5bn annually due to women leaving the industry.