These barriers in the global workforce need to be removed for women to thrive, according to Linkedin

In celebration of International Women’s Day and to support a more gender inclusive world, LinkedIn published data on jobs where women are thriving, and barriers the global workforce still needs to overcome.

Here are some insights from the survey:

Women leaders are on the rise globally

Since 2008, more women have been hired into leadership positions around the world. While there is still a gap, the outlook is increasingly optimistic, with women in leadership holding an average of just over 25% of all leadership positions globally. LinkedIn data shows that India, which has historically lagged in hiring women into leadership positions, has gained significant momentum with the largest percentage increase being hired into leadership roles (25%).

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Education and nonprofit industries close leadership gap and tech Sector Gains Momentum

The education and nonprofit sector are leading the way in closing the gap between male and female leaders. In this sector, women are being hired for 47% of leadership positions. Healthcare and pharmaceuticals also have a high number of women in leadership with nearly half of leadership positions being held by women (46%).

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More women entering tech

LinkedIn also evaluated the roles women were being hired into overall. It may come as a surprise that the technology industry saw the largest change with an 18% increase in female leaders hired.
The top three job titles that have seen the strongest growth are all technology roles: User Experience Designer (67% increase), Chief Technology Officer (60% increase) and Web Developer (40% increase).

Women CEOs make up only 18% of the workforce

In the C-suite, the single role that women hold more than or equivalent to men is Chief Human Resource Officer (56%, which is an increase of 82% since 2008). In contrast, women CEOs still make up only 18% of the workforce. At the director-level, hiring for women in the Director of Information Technology role has increased by 57% since 2008.

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Management and leadership top skills for women leaders

LinkedIn looked at the most common skills based on the profiles. Management and leadership top the list of skills for women in leadership positions. Interestingly, customer service and public speaking also ranked highly.

Gender equality at work is a growing priority
LinkedIn data shows that diversity and inclusion are becoming a priority for companies worldwide. More than 37% of talent acquisition leaders believe that diversity will be the number one trend defining the future of hiring.
One of the key aspects to closing the gender gap is to identify areas of progress, tackle obstacles, and provide resources to help create leadership paths for women.