Opinion piece by Helen Link, General Manager, Engineers Australia Newcastle.
The key to high-performing organisations is, more often than not, related to the organisation’s leaders and their teams who thrive to achieve inclusiveness and diversity.
It is evident that the participation of women in engineering remains very low compared to other sectors and the labour force as a whole. The proportion of women who made up the engineering labour force was 10.6% in 2006, only increasing to 11.8% in 2011. With the Strategic Diversity and Inclusion Framework being endorsed by engineering industry leaders in 2015, gender diversity has received some vital attention encouraging more women to take up engineering.
However, diversity is about much more than just gender, also including ethnicity, culture, religion, age, sexual orientation and experience. Engineers Australia report “The Engineering Professions: A Statistical Overview” released in November 2015 states that the overseas-born component of the profession grew to a majority 53.9% by 2011, bringing in valuable ethnic and cultural diversity to the Australian engineering industry. The 35 to 39 years group accounted for 14.34% of the engineering labour force in 2011, while about 17.5% of engineers were aged 55 years or more, demonstrating diversity in age among engineers in Australia.
In order to attract and retain the best talent, companies should be ready to embrace diversity at all levels. Evidence over the years has shown that those companies who diversify more share in greater profits, better customer satisfaction and improved employee satisfaction.
Want to hear more on how diversity improves the performance of organisations? Join us at the ‘Diversity and Inclusion – Current Gaps in Australia’ presentation to find out how Dr Kirsten Molloy, CEO of the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator (HVCCC), has implemented and supported a range of initiatives in the areas of diversity, equity, STEM and leadership. For more information and to register your attendance.
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