‘IT recruitment is still biased, whether it is unconscious or not’

Neo Pedrithes, CEO of Ice Recruitment, reflects on how DEI is still nowhere near where it needs to be, and how much work our industry and the channel needs to do

I recently sat on a panel discussing unconscious bias in recruitment as part of a broader event - run by Agilitas - based around DEI.

Surrounded by inspiring speakers and a wealth of opinions from attendees, the day was invaluable and plenty was learnt from all in the room.

One of my personal key takeaways was Charlotte Wilson, head of enterprise and strategic sales at Check Point, talking about the dangers of AI when it comes to DEI. Because it sits on historical data, it means the focus is extremely biased in many forms. This is worrying to me, and I was completely unaware how skewed it can be.

My panel covered unconscious bias in hiring, and just our conversation alone highlighted how much work still needs to be done.

Did you know:

• Over 64 per cent of UK tech job adverts use masculine-coded language, discouraging female applicants.
• Candidates with ethnic-sounding names need to send up to 70 per cent more applications for the same callback rate.
• And the biggest issue lies in the interview process itself where 60 per cent of interviewers make decisions in the first 15 minutes — often subconsciously - which is why we end up hiring clones.

Our panel decided that hiring teams need more training on both biased and unbiased behaviours — and that knowing the difference is essential. Furthermore, having diverse panels in the interview process is a must to start driving change.

Ticking boxes

For me personally, despite the inspiration and shared values in the room, I left the event with a lingering thought: we still have a long way to go when it comes to meaningful execution of DEI in organisations. Which goes further than gender & ethnicity, by the way.

While progress has been made, DEI often still feels like a tick-box exercise — or even worse, a nuisance — to many senior leaders.

There are a few things that need to happen to get the needle moving.

• Communication of the business case & the ROI to senior leaders is a must. If leaders can see the benefit, DEI will get the focus it deserves.
• The business case is clear: diverse teams are linked to higher retention, better hiring outcomes, and increased productivity. It is not just the right thing to do — it is commercially smart.
• Change the internal hiring processes to support risk and wider talent pools. Diverse panel, better job specs and more.
• Develop a safe culture to speak & challenge the status quo.

We shouldn’t still have to justify DEI. Yet here we are. I am genuinely concerned that we are having to push what I experienced back in the 90’s in 2025.

As leaders, we have a duty to plant the seeds we may never sit under, knowing we are creating shade for those who come after us.

Not only is this the right thing to do, but the business benefits are also real. For me, it is time to execute from a senior level and it needs to be non-negotiable.

Let’s make this happen. And soon.