A new federal report reveals significant underrepresentation of women, Black, and Hispanic workers in high-tech jobs, with employers showing “limited progress” in creating advancement opportunities for qualified workers from diverse backgrounds.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), responsible for enforcing federal anti-discrimination laws, issued its report on Wednesday. The study focused on diversity within the high-tech sector and workforce from 2014 to 2022, identifying "significant barriers" that persist. The report analyzed demographic disparities across 56 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations and their respective industries.
“Sixty years after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, there is a high degree of underrepresentation and a disturbing lack of career advancement for female, Black, and Hispanic workers in the high-tech workforce, despite the recent period of growth in high tech occupations,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows.
“America’s high-tech sector, which leads the world in crafting technologies of the future, should not have a workforce that looks like the past,” Burrows added. “These data raise serious questions that deserve serious answers.”
The report highlighted that women constituted only 22% of the high-tech workforce in 2005 and remained at just 22.6% by 2022. This figure is notably lower than women's representation in the total U.S. workforce at 47.3% in 2022.
Black workers accounted for 7.4% of the high-tech workforce in 2022 compared to their 11.6% share of the total U.S. workforce. Similarly, Hispanic workers represented 9.9% of the high-tech workforce versus their 18.7% share of the overall labor force.
Asian employees were an exception; they comprised a significantly larger portion of the high-tech workforce (18.1%) relative to their share of the total U.S. workforce (6.5%). White employees made up 59.9% of the high-tech workforce, slightly more than their share in the overall U.S. workforce (58.4%).
The magnitude of these disparities suggests that discrimination may contribute to lower employment rates among women, Black workers, and Hispanic workers in high tech roles, according to research cited by the EEOC.
Key findings from the report include:
- Female, Black, and Hispanic workers remain substantially underrepresented in both the high-tech workforce and sector compared to other industries.
- From 2005 to 2022 there was minimal change in representation for Black workers and virtually no change for female workers within high tech.
- Black, Hispanic, and Asian employees are underrepresented in managerial positions relative to their overall participation in high tech.
- Women constitute nearly half of all U.S. workers but only make up 22.6% of those employed within all industries' high-tech roles and just 4% within dedicated high-tech sectors.
- The high-tech workforce skews younger; individuals aged between 25 to 39 comprise 40.8%, compared to just over one-third (33%) within broader U.S labor demographics.
- Workers over age forty experienced a decline from representing over half (55%) down to slightly above half (52%) between 2014 -2022.
- Discrimination complaints filed with EEOC involving age pay or genetic information were more prevalent within tech compared against other sectors.
In light of these findings: High-Tech companies are advised proactively assess potential employment barriers impacting women older employees alongside black/hispanic personnel alike To access full details regarding this EEOC document titled "High Tech Low Inclusion Diversity High Tech Workforce Sector" visit here
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