An Asia-Pacific perspective

Gender gapin AI talent

AI: Artificial Intelligence

Only 23% of AI professionals in APAC are women

The invisible force that powers many technologies we interact with everyday—Artificial Intelligence (AI), is not just algorithms and complex coding but the foundation of the system and processes that guide our daily conversations and experiences. A soaring trend in the world of tech, AI is the present and future of human interactions.

As per our latest Future of Skills report, AI is one of the fastest rising skills in APAC. However, this sector misses out on something crucial—a gender balanced workforce. Today, in the APAC region only 2 out of every 10 AI professionals are women. This trend is consistent across the different countries in our region.

Need for gender balance in AI

Building an inclusive technology The AI workforce of today is building the technology of tomorrow and the norms that will guide the future of AI. This technology has already started touching various spheres of business and consumers alike. Different industries like education, healthcare, retail, finance and manufacturing are discovering applications of AI for their businesses.

This impact is going to continue to grow and penetrate further. As AI touches more and more people, it is important that we develop it with inclusivity in mind and it does not create unconscious bias for the users of the technology.

This starts with having diversity in the teams developing AI. Tech that is built from the perspective of both genders will be more inclusive and a representation of the real world.

What does this mean for your business?

While organisations around the world are prioritizing gender diversity initiatives, putting special emphasis on the AI talent pool becomes even more crucial as the gender gap is much more stark in this talent pool than the rest of the base— following the trend that we see in STEM* talent. A one-size-fits-all strategy may not work for this talent pool considering the supply and availability of skilled talent in this field is sparse.

Gender balance in this talent pool for tech companies is a no-brainer as they look to build capabilities and solutions in this field. For other industries beyond tech, even though they may or not need AI skilled talent in-house, but they will be buying solutions from tech companies that will influence the work and decisions of their workforce. Hence, gender diversity in the decision-makers & influencer segments will become important.

*Science Technology Engineering Mathematics

3 things you can start thinking about

You can start by benchmarking your company’s current gender split in this talent pool against competition and industry. Once you have the baseline, you can start setting aspirational recruiting and upskilling goals. You can get this started through LinkedIn’s self-serve analytics tool LinkedIn Talent Insights.

Make sure that your employer brand shows up with a diverse voice, tone and look. Highlighting stories of women leaders in the AI field can help attract top female talent. Using sponsored content, you can reach out to the AI talent pools and help engage women who may not be aware of your brand.

Can a software engineer or data scientist in your company be upskilled to build skills and capabilities in AI? Building career pathways for existing women employees with the relevant foundational skills and interest can help build niche talent from within the company while closing the gender gap.

Understand your current gender split and goals

Strengthen employer brand to appeal to diverse audiences

Invest in your existing workforce

Inform recruiting strategy and set expectations with hiring managers

Identify target audiences, inform campaigns and allocate branding budget

Gain insights about peer companies and industry leaders to stay ahead of the curve

Understand how the talent market and competition vary by region to support location decisions

Craft data-driven plans for talent acquisition, development and retention

How can LinkedIn Talent Insights help you?

Hiring strategy Employer branding

Competitive intelligence

Workforce planning

Geolocation decisions

Speak to a LinkedIn Talent Solutions specialist on how we can partner you to develop winning teams

About LinkedIn Talent Solutions

Our products help you find and engage the right candidates, build your brand, and make even smarter talent decisions, powered by LinkedIn’s data and insights.

Methodology

Meet the authors

Pooja Chhabria Senior Growth Marketing Manager APAC

Gopika M. S. Insights Analyst APAC

Alvin Kan Head of Insights APAC

Hui Ling Cheong Customer Marketing Specialist APAC