LinkedIn reveals Indian organisations still employ more men than women, when it comes to building the sales workforce. As per its data, women make up only 19 per cent of the sales workforce and 13 per cent of the sales leadership roles in India.
The gender gap is narrower in tier one cities, especially in South India, in the IT and retail sectors. LinkedIn states tier one cities constitute a greater number of women sales professionals – Hyderabad (26 per cent), Bengaluru (25 per cent) and Chennai (22 per cent). Tier two cities promise potential to bring more women into their workforce – Ahmedabad (14 per cent), Lucknow (13 per cent) and Jaipur (13 per cent).
IT (27 per cent) and retail sectors (23 per cent) are comparatively more inclusive in terms of hiring women in sales roles. The highest gender gap is found among pharmaceutical (10 per cent), manufacturing (14 per cent) and automotive industries (14 per cent).
As per LinkedIn, many organisations are on the path of combating unconscious bias by focusing less on degrees, gender or experience and more on finding talent whose skills match the role. Every three in five women who get hired in sales come from non-sales backgrounds, such as marketing and business development. Upskilling by developing the right skills for the job is important for growth, especially in the current job market.
Being inclusive and promoting diversity at work is crucial across all job functions, as it boosts creativity, encourages innovation and inspires a skills-first culture – all of which are important for business growth and success.