La industria de la tecnología ha estado hablando durante años de una creciente diversidad dentro de sus filas, con poco o ningún progreso hasta ahora para mostrar en toda la charla. Una de las razones de esto es la falta de acciones concretas y sostenidas para encontrar y retener a los solicitantes negros, así como a los latinos y mujeres que buscan trabajo.
But there are deeper issues at play, according to a new Conference Board report: Structural problems limit the participation of black candidates, even for companies that are serious about recruiting and retaining them, and as America's tech industry is growing and struggling to fill their ranks. . The problem is that people hired in tech are paid less than their white counterparts (a problem for Latinx workers as well). For example, the Conference Board's analysis of US employment data shows that just 4% of top earners in the tech industry are black, compared to 6% in other industries. And "among software developers, who have experienced the highest revenue growth of all, black representation is just 3,3%," the report notes. The Conference Board is a global, nonpartisan business group, though the new report focuses on the United States. The racist pay gap is not limited to the tech industry. "Black workers are also underrepresented in other burgeoning fields for highest-paid employees, accounting for just 2,8% of highest-paid CEOs and 3,8% of highest-paid employees in business marketing management," he notes. The report. But the growth of technology is amplifying the racial pay gap in the workforce. For example, in 2010, black men earned 18% less than white men, a disparity that rose to 24% in 2019, "largely due to the increased underrepresentation of black workers in high-paying industries and professions." as technology, according to the Conference Board report. saying. Worse for African-Americans, other changes in American business mean there are fewer good-paying non-tech jobs available in areas -- government, education, and hospital healthcare -- that are used to employing black professionals. The net result is a widening racial pay gap in the United States, as blacks struggle to join the growing, well-paid tech ranks as other career opportunities dwindle, the report concludes. "Our research suggests that there are powerful barriers to reducing these disparities and preventing them from worsening: Black workers are severely underrepresented in industries, occupations, and places where the fastest-growing, high-paying jobs occur," the report says. The Conference Board's top recommendations for hiring and retaining black employees in technology are well known:
- Use metrics in a consistent and sustained effort to keep moving forward in recruiting and promoting diversity.
- Communicate with blacks and their institutions to develop lasting partnerships.
- Open offices in cities with high black populations, to help offset existing technology centers in cities with low black populations such as San Francisco (2%), San José (0,8%), Seattle (1,6%)) and Austin , Texas (2,3%)). Black tech employment is on the rise in cities with large black populations, a report shows 12% in Atlanta and 13% in Washington, DC
- Take advantage of remote work to recruit black candidates where they live.
- Invest in community and educational partnerships that encourage Balck's involvement in technology and offer initial training and internships.
But the Conference Board also says more must be done at the system level, especially in education and social inclusion from birth, to reduce the barriers that keep African Americans out of the tech industry in the first place. Another social reality to address, the Conference Board said: Even when educated equivalent to whites, blacks tend to work in industries and occupations that pay less, and the wage gap between industries has stopped widening. This deepens the racial divide in income, even for jobs that require the same level of education and experience.
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