Rail Social Partners launch 6th annual report on Women in Rail

9 Apr 2020

The rail social partners ETF and CER have released the 6th annual report mapping the situation of women’s employment in the railway sector.

The CER-ETF “Joint Recommendations for a better participation and integration of women in the railway sector” signed in 2007 provide guidance and are a useful tool to promote the participation and integration of women in European railway companies. In order to measure the impact of the Joint Recommendations from 2007, annual reports on the development of women’s employment are drawn up and published.

The 6th Women in Rail report is based on the data of 2018. In total, 28 railway companies from 21 countries completed questionnaires. The report shows that among those 28 companies, the average share of women is 21.4 %.

Data shows that the share of women in comparable railway companies (those that took part in previous surveys) has increased with + 0.5% from 20.92% in 2017 to 21.44% in 2018.

Among the comparable companies that took part in the survey between 2012 and 2018, there is a development of the total share of women with +3.4%. In numbers, this is an increase from 124.550 women employed in railways in 2012 to 140.847 women railway employees in 2018.

Among all comparable companies (2012-2018), best represented are women in Slovakia ZSSK with 35.8%, Germany DB Group and Slovakia ZSSK Cargo with 24.5%. Austria (ÖBB) accounts for the least women workers with 12.8%.

The overall highest representation of women has been reported in Sweden (Transdev Sverige AB) with 40 %, Lithuania (JSC Lithuanian railways) with 37.2 % and Slovakia (ZSSK) with 35.8 %. The lowest share of women is 6.9 % in Luxembourg (CFL Cargo).

The highest increase between 2017 and 2018 was in Italy (FS Group) with 1.1 % (from 15.3 % to 16.4 %) and the lowest increase is found in Slovakia (ZSSK) with 0.2 % (from 35.6 % to 35.8 %). In some countries such as Hungary (GYSEV) or Denmark (DSB), data shows a decline in women’s employment.

You can download the 6tt annual Women in Rail report on your right-hand side.