Tech companies may have grown more vocal in their intention to prioritize diversity and inclusion efforts, but their strategies haven't done anything to significantly move the needle — and it's because they haven't gotten to the root of the problem.
Only 8% of workers and just 3% of executives in the U.S. tech industry are Black, according to a recent study by the Computing Technology Industry Association. This lack of representation within organizations has created persistent barriers and obstacles for incoming Black talent at every level of the employment process.
"This is a very white, male-dominated industry, and a very cliquish industry," says David Lee, a tech expert who has been working in the cybersecurity field for over a decade. "The biggest challenge that Black workers face is that they are often the only ones in the room — they don't have a place of comfort within an organization and that can be a very isolating feeling."
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But for many aspiring Black tech workers, the limitations begin long before they make it to the office. More than half of Black adults lack the financial resources to apply for tech jobs, according to a recent survey from Jobs for the Future. When and if they do enter the industry, management consulting company McKinsey found that the wage gap for Black individuals in tech positions is anticipated to increase by almost 37% within the next decade.
The repercussions of those findings, according to Lee, are already having long term effects on the quality of the tools and programs being produced by big tech companies.
"We're building technology in an echo chamber," he says. "Different perspectives and viewpoints aren't considered because they aren't in the room to give them. As technology moves more and more into the fabric of everyday life, this can lead to bigger consequences than just inconvenience — it can be damaging."
For example, facial recognition tech has struggled to recognize Black faces, while biased AI chatbots have removed "non-white" sounding names or certain area codes when screening applicants. Companies' current diversity initiatives are a good starting point for finding and correcting these issues, but making the tech industry accessible to diverse talent is the only way to avoid repeating them.
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"It takes intention to change this," Lee says. "It takes a willingness to have uncomfortable conversations, look in the mirror and admit where there are shortcomings."
To start, Lee suggests removing demographic information from resumes so that hiring managers are looking solely at qualifications, instead of making assumptions based on name or college affiliation. Regarding filling the pipeline, organizations should look into partnering with HBCU's, and get involved on campuses and with student clubs and organizations.
"Bringing different voices and perspectives into the room means that more ideas are presented about how to solve a problem," Lee says. "This should be their driving mission to increase those numbers over time. The key here is intent — companies should want to create a more diverse workforce."
