As the United States continues to undergo a significant demographic shift, companies must diversify their employment base in order to remain successful and profitable. According to the 2010 census, by 2043, there will be no clear racial majority.
In a purported first step toward increasing racial and gender diversity, technology giants in Silicon Valley began publicly publishing diversity reports in 2014. According to data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, in 2014, blacks and Hispanics represented only 1.9 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively, of the professional-level workforce—both tech and nontech positions—at the headquarters and local branches of the top 75 Silicon Valley tech firms. This equates to 101 black and Hispanic professionals at each firm—out of an average of 2,789 employees. Statistics for the entire Silicon Valley area are similar. In 2015, 2.2 percent and 4.7 percent of tech professionals were black and Hispanic, respectively.
Three explanations are commonly used to explain away or minimize the lack of diversity in Silicon Valley, including that diversity is an issue everywhere; that there is a lack of qualified workers of color; and that the tech sector is investing in diversity initiatives that will yield results in the near future. This report corrects these three myths using empirical data while highlighting some of the most promising, tested solutions to date.
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