Having taken a deep dive into 15 years worth of data, electrical training provider Electrician Courses 4U have revealed the proportion of women working in the electrical trade has increased by a minor 1.38% since 2006.

The research, which aims to shine a light on the evolution of the trades over the past three decades, discovered that in 2006 there were 7,800 women working in the electrical and electronic trades, which equates to just 1.80 per cent of the total workforce.

By 2021 the number of women working in the electrical and electronic trades had increased by 4,900 to 12,700 – but that means women still only make up 3.18% of the total workforce.

Looking at the overall picture of 29 skilled occupations, the electrical trade ranks in a dismal 22nd place when it comes to the trades which have seen the biggest increase in the proportion of women in their workforce over the last 15 years.

The occupation which has struggled the most when it comes to attracting and maintaining women in their workforce is chefs.

The number of women working as chefs has actually decreased since 2006 – falling from 56,900 to 55,000.

Another occupation which has seen a decline of females in their workforce is tailors and dressmakers who have seen a proportional loss of 4.20%women workers over the past 15 years.

That said, women still make up over half of the workforce at 66.37%.

The 10 skilled jobs which have seen the slowest growth in women workers over the past 15 years 

Although some trades are struggling to attract women, the research has also revealed the occupations which have been most successful in boosting the proportion of females in their workforce.