The Journal Record: fix the gender imbalance in the tech sector.

Despite earning more than half of all science and engineering bachelor’s degrees in the U.S., women remain underrepresented in the STEM workforce. What can companies do to change this?

In the Journal Record, Rebecca Henderson, CEO of Randstad Global Businesses and executive board member, pointed to the lack of female representation in Oklahoma City’s growing tech sector. The city lags other technology hot spots in both the low percentage of women hired for tech roles and the income level for women working in this field.

“Female candidates who entered the labor market this past year want to work for companies whose values reflect their own,” writes Henderson. “If the technology sector wants to resolve its gender disparity, companies need to focus on communicating their values to attract women.”

One of the things that women look for when searching for a new role is a company with a higher purpose, beyond financial success. That can mean a commitment to environmental responsibility, contributions to charitable causes or an effort to hire and promote an inclusive workforce.

Research shows that companies with gender and ethnic diversity tend to outperform their competitors by 21% and 33%, respectively. “As CEO of a global talent solutions provider, I see diversity work its magic all the time,” concludes Henderson, with a reminder to employers to live up to Oklahoma City’s pledge to honor diversity among its people.

Read the full article on the Journal Record for more tips on building a gender-diverse STEM workforce. Then be sure to follow Randstad’s Sourceright’s diversity and inclusion Insights stream for the latest news and research.