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Significant work remains to be done to address the gender imbalance in the steel industry, with women making up just 16% of the workforce, a survey of the industry commissioned by the ASI Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee has found.
Just over half of respondents reported that their workplace was “somewhat or not at all” gender diverse. The proportion of women in the steel industry is also slightly below the 18% recorded for the overall manufacturing sector.
Nearly 60% of respondents reported that their workplace was either very or extremely diverse in terms of ethnicity. Across all the survey responses, the approximate percentage of employees who were born overseas or would identify as ethnically diverse came in at just over 33%, which compares with 30% for the general population.
Considering the range of other categories surveyed, the reported figures for the steel industry were consistently below that for the general population. For example, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander steel industry workers was 1.9%, which compares to this group making up 3.8% of the general population.
The training of apprentices provided an exception to this trend, with the steel industry workforce including 6.6% apprentice employees, which is double that for the national labour force. Half of the businesses surveyed have some kind of diversity and inclusiveness policies. Of those businesses with policies in place, the majority reported that they are neutral in their effectiveness, contrasting with a significant minority finding they are either effective or very effective.
A quarter of businesses reported that they have a dedicated resource with responsibility for diversity and inclusion. This is consistent with many of the respondents representing small and medium sized businesses, with insufficient administration staff to make this type of commitment.
Similarly, just over 20% of businesses reported that training or workshops are currently provided. The composition of the responding businesses was largely consistent with the make-up of the ASI membership base.
Chair of the ASI Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee Samantha Swain said she was encouraged by the strides being made in promoting ethnic diversity within the steel industry.
“While there is still important work to do in improving gender balance and increasing representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers, it is promising to see the steel industry leading the way in training apprentices. With continued focus and commitment, I am confident we will build a more inclusive and diverse future for our industry.”