You thought finding tech talent was hard? Now combine that push with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that set the bar even higher for finding IT talent and you’re facing a mountain that is an uphill climb all the way to your goal. Today, only 15% of the technology workforce could be considered to fall into your DEI goals. Compared to the rest of the private industry sectors, the IT field hires far more Caucasian workers than any other demographic. Why does diversity continue to be an issue in IT, and what should businesses do to overcome this disparity?
The State of Diversity in the Tech Industry
When it comes to diversity in the tech sector in 2022, we still have a long way to go. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission:
- 83% of the C-suite in tech are white and male
- Only about 37% of companies have one female on their board
- Not even half of the candidates hired are female (36% to 48%).
- Hispanic IT new hires make up less than 2%
Even more daunting is the reality that only 32% of employees suggest their tech companies are working actively on a DEI strategy that’s making any impact on these disparities.
The majority of these companies—75%—say that the COVID pandemic set these initiatives back even further. Why should you be worried about this? What is it about diversity that’s so important to your team and your organization?
Why DEI Matters in Tech?
DEI rewards companies back financially and through stronger innovation. The research shows that high performing teams pull from a diverse pool of talent. It also helps employee retention and attracting more IT candidates to your company. Your bottom line will not only grow but the technology you employ will benefit from an array of perspectives that come from a diverse talent pool.
Most organizations recognize this issue as an important one. Nearly 80% of talent acquisition teams say that diversity matters more than ever before in 2022, calling it their “biggest trend and key challenge.”
How Can You Improve Your IT DEI Initiatives?
The first step toward creating awareness of DEI as a front-of-house recruiting goal is simply to talk about it more. Communicating your DEI strategy to your employees and making it a part of your job and social posts as well as your web page will help spread the good word about your commitment to this issue.
Train and measure the metrics of your recruiting teams as they work to build a more inclusive organization. Also, put your money where your initiative is, and devote a chunk of your corporate marketing and HR budgets toward building a more diverse candidate pipeline. Take the time to uncover any hidden biases in your job ads and look closely at where you’re placing them to broaden the reach of your candidate search.
Become a trusted partner of tech bootcamps devoted to training a broad spectrum of talent to bring them into the field. Engage your existing employees in giving back to these organizations so that everyone begins to work on DEI as a team across your organization.
Finally, partner with a third-party recruiting partner like Prosum to find the hidden talent in diverse populations that you may not have considered. Our team has been working on vast candidate pools and DEI is always a part of our ultimate goal—to help you succeed.
Looking to build a diverse team?
Prosum is nationally certified by the Southern California Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) and places diverse individuals across a wide range of tech industry roles. Whether you need to augment your core staff or fill key leadership roles, we can deliver top tech talent to add value to your organization. Let us connect you with the people you need today!
