Some big recruiters have reported real change is taking place in some Australian industries, with companies making concrete moves to enforce gender diversity.

The managing director of IT hirers Ambition Technology says the diversity agenda is certainly here, with many clients asking to make sure half of all shortlisted job candidates are women: “I have actually seen a change in attitudes in the last 12 to 18 months from our bigger corporate clients,” said director Andrew Cross.

He says the immediate question of ‘the best client for the job’ is raised but most companies say they will determine that for themselves, wanting a diverse pool to choose from.

Questions have also been asked on whether hiring managers should be the ones to make the call at all. Recent research has shown they are frequently woeful judges of a good employee.

Many recruiters are sceptical of the conviction on equality of some companies, saying they frequently just want more female recruits so they can report better diversity figures to the company board.

Heather Price, the CEO of a diversity consultancy says companies are: “really placing a demand on recruiting companies to train and build their own understanding.”

“Really, they are the reason that [diversity] has been given so much traction... if you don’t bring a diverse team to the table, you don’t get cutting-edge thinking.”