There is a gap between organisations’ public commitment to creating diversity in the workplace and the experiences of the most recent generation of female workers, which means some risk missing out on the most skilled talent pool, according to research from PwC.

 PwC’s report Next generation diversity – Developing tomorrow’s female leaders, which is based on a survey of over 40,000 global workers born between 1980 and 1995, reveals that nearly a third (29%) of female ‘millennials’ think that employers are too biased towards male employees when it comes to promotion.

This group will make up 25% of the global workforce by 2020, and 82% of female millennials said an employer’s policy on diversity, equality and workforce inclusion is important when deciding whether to work for an organisation.

Jon Andrews, head of HR consulting at PwC, said: ‘This generation is image conscious when it comes to picking an employer and if they feel the reality is not consistent with what they’ve been promised, organisations risk losing their best talent to competitors. This is particular true of female millennials, with over half saying they would completely avoid working in a particular sector if they believed it had a negative image.’

The research reveals that the majority of female millennials are confident about their career progression, with over half believing they will be able to rise to the most senior levels with their current employer. Female millennials also consider opportunities for career progression as the most attractive employer trait.

Andrews said: ‘Female millennials are entering the workforce in larger numbers than any of their previous generations and will be vital to an organisation’s future success. If we want to develop a strong pipeline of future women leaders it is vital we understand what motivates this generation and therefore what organisations need to do to attract, develop and retain millennial women.’