TeamLease Digital’s latest report highlights GCCs leading gender diversity efforts

Female involvement in India’s digital contractual workforce has increased significantly over the last four years, from 9.51 percent in 2020 to 27.98 percent in 2024, according to a TeamLease Digital research.

Titled ‘Gender Parity – Shaping Workforce Equity,’ the paper is based on a quantitative examination of a proprietary dataset that included 13,000 associates from TeamLease Digital’s tech contractual workforce from 2020 to 2024.

The survey emphasizes how more women are able to pursue contract IT professions because to growing digital infrastructure, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and more remote work alternatives.

GCCs lead gender inclusion

Global capability centers (GCCs) have improved gender diversity the most out of all the industries. In the GCC, the percentage of women increased from 31.4% in 2020 to 38.3% in 2024, thanks to global workforce plans and organized DEI regulations.

Women’s presence in senior leadership is still low despite these advancements, rising just slightly from 11.43 percent in 2020 to 13.60 percent in 2024.

At 16.10 percent, the gender pay gap in the GCC is still a cause for concern, with the difference being particularly noticeable at senior levels (16.4%). Interestingly, the difference is far smaller in non-tech professions (0.8%) than in high-demand tech roles (22.2%).

In order to lessen these wage gaps, the research emphasizes the necessity of increasing the number of women in specialized tech positions.

IT services: Rising inclusion, limited career progression

The percentage of women working in the IT services industry has also increased, rising from 7.8% in 2020 to 21.2% in 2024. The continuous attempts to establish equitable employment practices are reflected in this progress. Women’s job advancement is still sluggish, though, as mid-level representation only increased from 4.13 percent to 8.93 percent over that time.

There have also been changes in senior leadership positions. Just 4.36 percent of leadership roles were held by women in 2021; this percentage increased to 7.39 percent in 2023 before marginally declining to 6.91 percent in 2024. This problem is made worse by the gender wage disparity in IT services. Although the total disparity is 3.55%, it increases to 6.12% at the mid-level and 8.34% at the senior level. The salary disparity in non-technical positions in the IT services industry is a noteworthy 18.3%.

In the IT services industry, obstacles such “unconscious bias in promotions, lack of mentorship opportunities, and workplace policies that do not fully support long-term career growth” still prevent women from advancing.

Tech in non-tech sectors

While gender participation has improved in the IT sector, non-tech industries such as manufacturing, banking, financial services, and insurance (BFSI), energy, healthcare, and automotive continue to be dominated by males.

Although the percentage of women working in tech positions in these sectors rose from 1.9% in 2020 to 14% in 2024, there is still a lack of leadership representation. Only 4% of entry-level jobs and 5.14 percent of mid-level jobs were held by women by 2024.
In non-tech industries, pay discrepancies are also more noticeable. At entry-level positions, the gender pay gap is 6%; at mid-level positions, it rises to 19%; and at senior levels, it gradually narrows to 13%. At just 7.17%, women are still underrepresented in tech positions across these industries. In these industries, the salary disparity between tech and non-tech positions is 18% against 15%, respectively.

Addressing workforce equity

Companies must establish organized career ladders for women, carry out frequent audits for pay parity, and guarantee clear compensation structures in order to close these discrepancies. Female involvement may also be increased by expanding skills-based hiring programs, especially in high-growth fields like data science, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Neeti Sharma, CEO of TeamLease Digital, emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach to achieving gender parity. “While we celebrate the growing presence of women in tech contractual roles, we must recognise that achieving true gender parity requires sustained efforts and a multi-faceted approach that transcends hiring more women,” Sharma said.