New Survey by Wiley Looks at Diversity Deficit in U.S. Tech Workforce
August 10 2021 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
Nearly 70% of U.S. Businesses Report a Lack
of Diversity in their Tech Workforce; Same Percentage of Young Tech
Employees Have Felt Uncomfortable at Work Based on Their Identity
or Background
Wiley is Addressing the Diversity &
Skills Gaps in Tech by Connecting High-Quality Education with
High-Demand Careers
From the 2021 ASU+GSV Summit, WILEY, a global leader in research
and education, today announced its Diversity in Tech: 2021 U.S.
Report following a survey of more than 2,000 early career tech
workers and 270 business leaders. The report verifies the pace of
progress is too slow in addressing the lack of diversity in U.S.
technology-focused jobs and reveals insights that underscore the
challenges companies must address to build more diverse workforces.
Key findings include that nearly 70% of U.S. businesses identify a
lack of diversity in their workforces, while the same percentage of
young tech workers feel a lack of inclusion and belonging in
company culture.
"It's estimated that U.S. companies collectively are spending
more than ever before - about eight billion dollars a year - on
diversity and inclusion training,” said Todd Zipper, President of
Wiley Education Services. “This report proves that investment alone
isn't enough to achieve equity in the workplace. We need to take an
ecosystem approach to workforce diversity: making science and math
education more accessible for all learners from an early age
through college, and creating more equitable on-ramps to employment
through short-form skilling and 'last-mile' training
solutions."
The report provides some key insights and findings about the
lack of diversity in workforces including:
There is immense power in educating and encouraging
secondary-school students to pursue technology-focused
roles.
- According to 18–28-year-old workers currently in the technology
field, the most common reason for pursuing a career in technology
is encouragement to do so by their high school. Nearly five out of
10 young tech workers (47%) cited this as one of their main
motivations, highlighting the necessity for schools to do more to
promote tech roles to a wider range of students.
- To land a tech job or advance in the tech sector, nearly
half of women surveyed were concerned about their
qualifications; 31% were concerned they are not good enough
at math and science; and one-in-three women were worried
that they do not have the right educational background. When
comparing men and women, women are more concerned about their
skillset with 48% worried about their qualifications compared with
43% of males.
Though businesses are aware of the lack of diversity in the
tech sector, they are unsure how to address it.
- Nearly nine out of 10 (89%) business leaders surveyed
plan to recruit junior tech talent in 2021; of those, more than
half (51%) struggle to recruit diverse entry-level
technology talent.
- 68% of businesses surveyed feel there is a lack of diversity
in their tech workforce, but only half (46%) are
actively trying to address the issue within technology teams.
Nearly a quarter (22%) said they do not know how to address
the issue. Surprisingly, nearly half (45%) of businesses
have yet to invest in anti-bias training for hiring managers.
To enable a more diverse workforce, companies need to create
more inclusive cultures.
- Seven out of 10 (68%) young technology workers have felt
uncomfortable in a job because of their gender, ethnicity,
socio-economic background, or neurodevelopmental condition. When
looking at women of color (female respondents who identify as
non-white) this number increases to nearly eight out of 10
(77%).
- Half (50%) of young tech workers said they had left, or
wanted to leave, a tech or IT job because the company culture made
them feel unwelcome or uncomfortable, highlighting the importance
of building inclusive cultures. This number increases to nearly six
out of 10 (57%) when looking at women of color.
- A significant proportion of all surveyed (64%) said they
believe people from minority backgrounds are discriminated against
in the recruitment process for technology jobs. This number was
relatively consistent across the different demographics.
Wiley supports thousands of higher ed institutions and employers
worldwide to deliver education directly connected to career success
and build a diverse and digitally savvy workforce at scale. One way
Wiley does this is through innovative, last-mile training solutions
like mthree that hire, train and deploy job-ready technology talent
in roles with leading corporations worldwide, including more than
30 Fortune 500 companies.
“With nine million unfilled jobs currently in the U.S., the
economy will continue to struggle as it experiences a labor
shortage, especially if companies are ill-equipped to recruit and
retain a diverse tech workforce.” said Daniele Grassi, Chief
Operating Officer for mthree, a Wiley brand. “Expanding and
diversifying talent pipelines will get great workers in high-demand
tech jobs faster, benefitting both companies and workers.”
As part of Wiley, mthree offers solutions to build pipelines of
diverse, custom-trained talent. mthree believes companies can reach
new demographics and tackle biases from age to education. In 2020,
of those placed with companies by mthree, 35% were female and 50%
were Black, Asian, or another minority ethnicity.
Additional information
- Link to Report: Download the full report here.
- ASU + GSV Session: Wiley will discuss insights from the
Diversity in Tech: 2021 U.S. Report virtually from the 2021 ASU +
GSV Summit, please visit here for more details.
Methodology
U.S. Employee: The U.S. employee sample consisted of
2,030 respondents comprised of individuals ages 18-28. All
respondents resided in the United States at the time they
participated in the survey. Texas residents accounted for the
largest percentage of respondents (15%), followed by New York
(14%), and Florida (10%).
U.S. Employer: The U.S. employer sample consisted of 270
respondents who were serving in leadership roles within the
financial services, healthcare or insurance industries at the time
they completed the survey. Respondents needed to be serving in
C-suite, executive level, senior management, vice president, or
director positions in order to participate. All respondents resided
in the United States at the time they participated in the survey.
Florida residents accounted for the largest percentage of
respondents (18%), followed by New York (14%), and Illinois
(11%).
About Wiley
Wiley is a global leader in research and education, unlocking
human potential by enabling discovery, powering education, and
shaping workforces. For over 200 years, Wiley has fueled the
world’s knowledge ecosystem. Today, our high-impact content,
platforms, and services help researchers, learners, institutions,
and corporations achieve their goals in an ever-changing world.
Visit us at Wiley.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
and LinkedIn.
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Media Contact Lauren Curlett M: +1 302-632-3661
Lcurlett@wiley.com
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