Candy Crush developer King has become the first UK games company to sign the Tech Talent Charter in a move to address gender imbalance in technology roles.

The Tech Talent Charter was set up to drive diversity in the workforce. The project was recently given the accolade of ‘Diversity Initiative of the Year’ at the Women in IT Awards.

King noted that the national UK average for female workers is 45 per cent. In the games industry however it claimed this figure drops to 19 per cent. The number decreases to 17 per cent when it comes to IT and technology firms.

Signing up to the Tech Talent Charter means King has pledged to help improve industry diversity and support the “recruitment and retention of diverse talent”.

Equal opportunities

“We are so proud to become the first games company to sign up to the Tech Talent Charter,” said King director of global diversity and inclusion Joyce Adeluwoye-Adams.

“This new commitment enables us to work alongside other like-minded organisations to drive meaningful change and shift the dial on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It’s important for the sustainability of our industry that we collectively encourage more diverse talent to consider a career in the industry, in a supportive environment, with opportunities to succeed.

“This is just one part of King’s ongoing commitment to increasing and fostering diversity. Ultimately, our vision is to have a diverse, inclusive and equal workplace where all our employees can thrive and feel proud to belong.”

Tech Talent Charter CEO Debbie Forster added: “We are delighted to have King, our first representative from the UK games industry, join the Tech Talent Charter. To achieve our aims of greater diversity in the tech industry we need companies from all sectors work together to share insights, find practical solutions and really move the dial in 2019.”