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WHY WOMEN TECH RETURNERS SHOULD BE YOUR NEXT HIRE
- By Isobel De Rozarieux
The tech industry is facing a critical talent shortage. By the end of 2025, the UK will need three million more skilled technology workers—and the US will need an additional 13 million. University graduates alone can’t meet this demand, which makes it essential to unlock alternative pathways into tech. One of the most overlooked solutions? Hiring a Tech Returner—particularly women Tech Returners who are ready to re-enter the industry after a career break.
But the challenge isn’t just about new talent—it’s also about retaining and re-engaging experienced professionals. Half of all women in tech leave the industry by age 35, often due to systemic barriers like “bro culture,” lack of flexibility, and caring responsibilities. In the UK alone, 1.5 million women are out of paid work due to caregiving.
The good news? According to PwC, 76% of professional women on a career break want to return to work—and many are eager to upskill into tech roles. This presents a major opportunity for forward-thinking employers to tap into an experienced, motivated, and diverse talent pool by supporting Tech Returners.
What is a Tech Returner?
A Tech Returner is someone with prior experience in a tech role who has taken an extended break from their career—often for caregiving, health, or other personal reasons. They may currently be economically inactive or working in lower-paid or part-time roles.
While Tech Returners can be any gender, research shows that most Tech Returners are women, largely due to gendered responsibilities around family care. Hiring them is not just good for equity—it’s smart business.
Here’s why your next hire should be a Tech Returner—and how to support them.
3 Reasons to Hire Women Tech Returners
1. Strengthen your leadership pipeline
One of the key reasons women are underrepresented in tech leadership is the impact of career breaks. But here’s the twist: 1 in 4 women on a career break already have management experience. That means they’re likely to progress into leadership roles faster than graduates or entry-level hires.
Supporting women Tech Returners helps organisations strengthen the mid-level and senior leadership pipeline—leading to better gender balance, improved decision-making, and even better financial performance. Gender-diverse executive teams outperform their peers, and companies that reduce the gender pay gap also see stronger customer loyalty.
2. Boost team diversity across age, gender and experience.
The tech sector is still struggling with diversity—only around 26% of tech roles are held by women. Bringing Tech Returners into your teams doesn’t just help solve the gender gap; it improves age and experience diversity as well.
Many Tech Returners bring not only deep technical knowledge but also cross-functional skills and life experience from outside of tech. This can fuel innovation, challenge groupthink, and broaden your team’s perspective. Especially in a sector facing an ageism problem, this is a smart way to diversify and future-proof your workforce.
3. Drive economic growth
When women return to the workforce—especially into high-demand industries like tech—the economic impact is massive. McKinsey estimates that fully engaging women in the labour market could add £150 billion to the UK economy.
The UK’s tech sector hit a $1 trillion valuation in 2022 and is projected to nearly double its share of the economy by 2030. But that growth depends on a consistent pipeline of skilled workers. Hiring and retaining experienced professionals like Tech Returners is essential for sustaining that growth and staying competitive globally.
How to successfully hire Tech Returners
1. Invest in a Tech Returner program
Nearly 75% of women on a career break say they’d prefer to re-enter work via a dedicated returner programme. These programmes typically last 10–24 weeks and offer structured learning, coaching, and confidence-building to help Tech Returners transition back into the workplace.
Flexible working, tailored onboarding, and clear progression opportunities are essential components. Programmes like those offered by Code First Girls provide industry-specific upskilling that fits around existing responsibilities, making it easier for women to relaunch their tech careers.
2. Remove bias from the hiring process
23% of women cite stigma around CV gaps as a major barrier to re-entry. And research backs this up—candidates with gaps longer than six months are often unfairly overlooked, even when more qualified than other applicants.
To fix this, companies should:
Train hiring managers on bias.
Use standardised, skills-based interview processes.
Focus on years of experience—not dates of employment.
Offer enhanced parental leave policies that make returning to work easier.
Changing how we view career breaks isn’t just fair—it’s strategic.
3. Offer flexibility that works for tech returners
Many women Tech Returners are balancing caregiving alongside their careers, so flexible work is critical. In fact, 64% of women are drawn to tech specifically for its flexible work potential.
Make sure to:
Clearly advertise remote, hybrid, or part-time options in job ads.
Ensure flexibility exists at all levels—not just junior roles.
Build inclusive policies that allow returners to thrive long-term.
Flexible work isn’t a perk—it’s an enabler for retaining top talent.
Hiring Tech Returners with Code First Girls
Hiring Tech Returners is one of the most effective ways to bridge the tech skills gap while building a more inclusive and innovative workforce. At Code First Girls, we help employers recruit, reskill, and retain exceptional talent through our industry-leading training and returner programmes.
Whether you’re looking to rebuild your pipeline, boost diversity, or support women’s progression into leadership, we’re here to help you make your next hire a Tech Returner.
