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Silicon Valley's Tech Workforce Diversity Has Long Way to Go, Say Feds
There is much room for improvement in the diversity of Silicon Valley's technology workforce, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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Much progress needs to be made before Silicon Valley's technology industry has a truly diverse workforce, according to an analysis of the top 75 regional tech firms by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The EEOC found 47% of those companies' employees are white, while 41% are Asian American, 6% are Hispanic, and 3% are African American. Moreover, the commission estimated only 30% of the workforce in the companies is female.
In comparison to overall private industry employment, the tech sector nationally employs larger percentages of both whites and Asian Americans, and smaller percentages of African Americans and Hispanics. On a national level, 64% of high-tech employees are men, compared to 52% in the broader workforce, while women comprise 36% of the tech workforce, versus 48% of the broader workforce.
AARP Foundation attorney Laurie A. McCann says ageism may be a particular shortcoming in the tech sector. "The rampant age discrimination...is perhaps most evident in companies' hiring policies and practices, which are designed to attract and hire younger employees," she notes.
"Expanding diversity and inclusion is critical to unlocking the full potential of tomorrow's economy," says EEOC chair Jenny Yang.
From Computerworld
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