Even the tech industry lacks in some things. Diversity is one of them. Year after year, we see how lily white and male the tech industry often is. Thankfully, that’s starting to change. Apple makes progress in diversity.
As of August 2016, 32 percent of Apple’s US work force are women. Nine percent are Black. Twelve percent are Latino. In Apple’s global employment, 37% are women. They’re making strides in minority hiring. In the last year, 27% of hires represented a minority group. Apple has done several things to bridge the embarrassing lack of racial and gender diversity. They’re recruiting from historically black colleges and universities. Apple is investing in elementary schools to train future tech geniuses. Apple claims to bridge the economic pay gap for women and minority workers. Harvard professor Hannah Riley Bowles has openly criticized Silicon Valley for their lack of women and minorities. Bowles said, “…the numbers are encouraging.” But she wants to see increased improvement over time. Even civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson praised Apple’s progress. Some complain the progress is only because of Apple’s retail stores. Their salaries are less. They could be true or fabricated. But Apple’s Black and Latino representation stands at eight percent. Despite Google and Facebook’s valiant efforts, Blacks and Latinos represent around 4 percent of their workforce.
This is a conversation that needs to continue. It started three years ago. If it didn’t start, we wouldn’t be making this much progress. More progress needs to be made. I applaud Apple’s efforts and results. I know Google and other companies still lack behind. But we can’t let them give up! It looks like they’re doing all they can to hire and attract more women and minorities. In the years to come, I hope to see their numbers rise. Think about the number of Blacks and Latinos who consume Google and Facebook products. I’m just saying. What can be done to increase diversity in the tech industry?