Role Type
3,002 core vs 1,764 support roles — hands-on engineering dominates open demand.
Seniority Distribution
Only 6.7% junior roles — 93.3% of the market demands prior experience. This is the entry wall for career changers and returners.
Entry Barrier Score (1=Open · 5=Strict)
Avg barrier: 2.89/5 — 25.0% of roles score 4–5: a specific rare stack or background is a hard gate.
Flexibility Score (1=Office Only · 5=Full Remote)
Only 26 roles (0.5%) are full-remote. 60% offer standard hybrid — "can mothers work in tech?" — barely, and on the employer's terms.
The Glass Ceiling in Numbers — Barrier Score × Seniority
| Seniority |
Barrier 1 | Barrier 2 | Barrier 3 | Barrier 4 | Barrier 5 |
Avg | Strict (4–5) |
| Junior n=317 |
34.1% |
55.2% |
8.5% |
2.2% |
0% |
1.79 |
2.2% |
| Mid n=2,189 |
1.5% |
35.9% |
40.8% |
21.2% |
0.7% |
2.84 |
21.9% |
| Senior n=1,240 |
0.1% |
24.9% |
43.7% |
29.1% |
2.2% |
3.08 |
31.3% |
| Lead n=859 |
0.1% |
19.2% |
50.6% |
29.7% |
0.3% |
3.11 |
30.0% |
| Executive n=161 |
0% |
22.4% |
39.8% |
33.5% |
4.3% |
3.20 |
37.9% |
Average barrier rises monotonically with seniority: 1.79 → 2.84 → 3.08 → 3.11 → 3.20. The share of strict roles (4–5) grows 17× from junior to executive (2.2% → 37.9%). The higher the position, the narrower the required stack — this is why experienced women who paused careers cannot re-enter at senior/lead level.
The Experience Wall
93.3%
roles demand prior experience (mid+)
45.2%
of explicit reqs ask 5+ years
Junior — avg yrs asked
2.5 yrs
Where postings state years explicitly, 76.2% demand 3+ years and 45.2% demand 5+. A returner after maternity leave or a career changer is filtered out before any interview.
Flexibility × Seniority — who gets remote?
Flexibility is earned with seniority, then revoked at the top: juniors (7.3%) and executives (6.8%) get the least remote access. The double bind: entry demands office presence, and so does leadership.
Tech Stack Recency
Cutting Edge41.5% · 1,979
41.5% cutting-edge — retraining curricula must target current AI/ML-era stacks, not last decade's.
Degree Required
0.8%
Only 39 of 4,766 roles explicitly require a degree
Formal education is almost never a hard gate — certification-based retraining is viable. The market screens on experience and stack, not diplomas.
Military Unit as Informal Filter
0.5%
25 roles explicitly demand 8200 / ממר"ם / מת"ם — plus a dedicated "Graduates (8200/Mamram)" hiring category of 42 roles
The explicit 0.5% is the tip of the iceberg — elite-unit background operates as an unstated screen, structurally excluding those who served elsewhere or not at all.
Where Is the Market Open vs Closed — GotFriends Categories (n=3,207)
| Category | Roles | Avg Barrier | Open (barrier 1–2) | Lead+Exec | Junior | Core R&D | Verdict |
|---|
| Product Management | 399 | 2.38 | 61.4% | 19.5% | 0.5% | 0.8% | OPEN |
| BI & Big Data | 399 | 2.55 | 51.9% | 16.5% | 7.5% | 63.4% | OPEN |
| QA & Automation | 402 | 2.75 | 36.8% | 18.7% | 9.7% | 86.8% | OPEN |
| DevOps & System | 402 | 2.96 | 22.6% | 22.9% | 5.2% | 75.6% | MIXED |
| Software Development | 405 | 3.06 | 21.7% | 31.9% | 1.5% | 90.1% | MIXED |
| Executive Search | 192 | 3.02 | 27.6% | 91.1% | 0% | 37.5% | MIXED |
| AI & ML | 166 | 3.40 | 8.4% | 11.4% | 1.8% | 94.6% | CLOSED |
| Graduates (8200/Mamram) | 42 | 3.26 | 19.0% | 4.8% | 11.9% | 97.6% | GATED |
| Cyber & Security | 400 | 3.56 | 4.8% | 19.2% | 1.8% | 81.5% | CLOSED |
| Algorithms & Data Science | 400 | 3.58 | 4.2% | 19.0% | 0.8% | 93.5% | CLOSED |
The spread is stark: Product Management is 61% open while Algorithms & Data Science is 96% closed. Cyber, Algorithms and AI/ML — the highest-prestige, highest-pay tracks — are precisely where barrier 1–2 roles almost don't exist. A separate "Graduates (8200/Mamram)" category institutionalizes the military pipeline.
The Accessible Market — Barrier 1–2
1,613
roles open to imperfect backgrounds
Of these, 558 are core R&D roles — real engineering, not only support tracks. 283 are junior, 818 mid-level: a realistic first and second step for program graduates.
This is the addressable market for retraining: 1 in 3 openings does not demand a rare stack or elite background.
Top Accessible Core Categories — where graduates can actually land
Plus non-core accessible volume: Product Management (260), Sales (100), Marketing (53), Operations (53) — bridge roles that use domain experience from previous careers.
Policy Implications — where to invest retraining budgets
1
Fund fast-track programs in QA, BI & Data Analytics, and Product
These categories combine high volume, low barriers (37–61% of roles at barrier 1–2) and real junior intake. QA & Automation alone has 126 accessible core openings in this snapshot — the shortest path from retraining to employment for women without a tech background.
2
The experience wall needs returnship subsidies, not more bootcamps
93.3% of roles demand prior experience; only 6.7% are junior. Where years are stated, 45% ask for 5+. Training alone cannot cross this — subsidized returnships and first-job wage support for maternity returners attack the actual bottleneck.
3
Cyber, Algorithms and AI/ML require long-track intervention
The highest-pay tracks are 95%+ closed at entry (barrier 1–2 share: 4.2–8.4%) and feed from the military pipeline (dedicated 8200/Mamram hiring category). Short courses won't open them; funded 1–2 year conversion programs with employer commitments might.
4
The glass ceiling is a stack problem — fund senior-level reskilling
Barrier rises monotonically with seniority (avg 1.79 junior → 3.20 executive); strict-requirement share grows 17×. Women stuck at mid-level need targeted deep-stack upskilling (not generic leadership courses) to clear senior/lead screens.
5
Flexibility mandates matter more than any single program
Only 26 of 4,766 roles (0.5%) are full-remote, and flexibility peaks mid-career then drops at leadership level. Incentives for verified-flexible roles (tax credits per remote/flex position) would expand the market for mothers across every category at once.