The shortage of women entering the engineering profession will have long term implications for the sector, according to Engineers Ireland.
The organisation is calling on more women and female students to consider engineering as a career to meet the growing needs of the industry in Ireland and to address predicted skills shortages.
The engineering sector employs more than 60,000 people in Ireland and research conducted by Engineers Ireland estimates that 6,000 vacancies in engineering would arise in 2024.
Just 24% of engineering students are female according to latest figures from the Higher Education Authority and Engineers Ireland estimates the true number of women who go on to pursue a career in engineering to be approximately half of that, at around 12%.
Figures also show a salary differential between male and female graduates, with 20.1% of male graduates of engineering, manufacturing and construction earning a salary of €60,000 or more, compared to 12.7% of females.
According to Engineers Ireland, research shows that factors impacting the level of female participation in engineering include perceptions of gender suitability for careers in the sector, with a view among some that it is a “man’s job”.
The organisation described as worrying, the lack of awareness of how engineering has diversified as a profession in line with technological advances, and how engineering today is about software, medical devices, robotics and chemical engineering, not just about building roads and bridges, though they remain vital to society.
To address information and perception gaps, Engineers Ireland will be at the upcoming National Ploughing Championships to show members of the public, educators and career guidance advisors the breadth of roles in the sector.
“We need to change perceptions of engineering in Ireland to encourage more women and other underrepresented groups, such as students from more rural backgrounds, to consider it as a career path,” said Damien Owens, Director General, Engineers Ireland.
“Engineering is vital for the functioning of the Irish economy and there is a real risk of skills shortages in the future as the demand for engineering continues to grow,” Mr Owens said.