The employment rate in the European Union has reached its highest level in twenty years, at 71.7% for the 15-64 age group. At the same time, the employment gap between men and women has narrowed, from almost 15% in 2005 to 10% today. However, the manufacturing industry is lagging behind.

Dr. Susanne Bieller, Secretary General of the International Federation of Robotics, emphasizes that gender equality has increased in overall employment. Nevertheless, the proportion of female engineers and scientists in manufacturing remains low. In this key industry for the global race for automation, only 22.4% of engineers and scientists are women, compared to 45.6% in service-related occupations. The European Commission's new Competitiveness Compass highlights the importance of robotics as a key technology to boost innovation. Attracting women to STEM subjects is important because diverse teams drive innovation and the robotics industry offers great economic opportunities for high-quality jobs.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) promotes women in robotics to give them more visibility and inspire girls and young women to pursue careers in STEM or robotics. This helps companies achieve gender equality and overcome the shortage of skilled workers. The IFR is committed to closing the gender gap, especially in times of demographic change and an increasing shortage of skilled workers. Greater diversity in teams increases productivity, competitiveness and innovation. Despite a narrowing of the gender gap and an increase in the female labor force, there is still a significant gap in the manufacturing industry, particularly among female engineers and scientists.

Each year, the IFR recognizes women in the robotics industry. The 2025 award winners are:

• Albane Dersy, co-founder and COO of Inbolt, France
• Ashlie Taivalkoski, sales manager at SCHUNK, USA
• Dr. Caren Dripke, head of robotics development at Lorch Schweißtechnik, Germany
• Julia Astrid Riemenschneider, CEO of Rethink Robotics, USA
• Kari DeSantis, General Manager, Corporate Marketing at Fanuc America, USA
• Kate Feng Xu, Head of China R&D at ABB Robotics, China
• Kateryna Portmann, Senior Product Manager at ANYbotics, Switzerland
• Susanne Nördinger, UR+ Ecosystem Manager for EMEA and Head of Ecosystem Success at Universal Robots, Germany
• Yumie Kubota, Executive Officer and Department Manager, AI Robotics Department at YASKAWA Electric Corporation / President of AI Cube, Japan
• Yunzhi (Amber) Qi, Co-Founder & General Manager of Overseas Business Division at YOUIBOT Robotics, China