Employer survey - Barriers to local recruitment for digital tech

Overview

Hackney Council is committed to working with local employers and educators to help our diverse communities get in-demand digital tech skills and progress into good jobs.

We know businesses in Hackney aspire to have a workforce that mirrors the local labour market. They want to hire employees who reflect all community groups because improving diversity, equity, and inclusion is not only the right thing to do, it's also good for business. Research shows that having a diverse workforce leads to higher productivity, innovation, and performance. 

However, Hackney’s underrepresented and low-income communities face barriers to digital tech careers. Our resident survey revealed that only 25% of respondents feel optimistic about accessing opportunities in digital tech and 49% of respondents believe their identity or background unfairly affects their access to these opportunities. 

Residents reported that their top three barriers to digital tech careers are:

1. Not having the right skills or qualifications.
2. Needing work experience to apply.
3. Not being confident enough to look for opportunities in this sector.

Their top three barriers to skills and qualifications are:  

1. Not knowing what jobs are available and what qualifications are needed.
2. The high cost of studying. 
3. Not having anyone to advise them about courses and training options.

How businesses can help

We would like businesses to complete this short survey to help us understand what you see as the biggest barriers to local recruitment for digital tech jobs. We want to hear your views about what skills are needed and what should be done to address skills gaps and diversity and inclusion challenges. 

We plan to hold round tables to discuss the issues in more depth. If your organisation wants to participate, the survey has a section to provide contact details.

Why this matters

Hackney has become a prime location for companies involved in the digital tech sector. Demand for digital tech skills is growing across industries creating many new jobs and making it increasingly necessary to foster greater diversity in these roles to deliver an inclusive economy, where everyone in Hackney - irrespective of background - has the opportunity to thrive and prosper.

What we're doing

We've set up a Commission to understand the intersecting barriers facing our residents looking to launch their careers in the digital tech industry and how we can work with local employers and educators to overcome these challenges.