Some 68% of companies feel there is a lack of diversity in their tech workforces, according to a survey in the “Diversity in Tech: 2021 US Report” by publishing house John Wiley & Sons. However, only 46% are trying to address the issue and 22% said they do not know how to address the issue.
Wiley’s survey also found that 45% of businesses have yet to invest in anti-bias training for hiring managers.
Meanwhile, 68% of young tech workers (ages 18 to 28) say they have felt uncomfortable in a job because of their gender ethnicity, socio-economic background or neurodevelopmental condition. When looking at just women of color, that increases to 77%.
Half of young tech workers say they had left or wanted to leave a tech or IT job because the company culture made them feel unwelcome or uncomfortable. And it’s 57% for women of color.
“With 9 million unfilled jobs currently in the US, 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 that finds and trains workers in IT skills and places them in jobs. “Expanding and diversifying talent pipelines will get great workers in high-demand tech jobs faster, benefitting both companies and workers.”
The survey included 270 employer respondents and 2,030 employee respondents ages 18 to 28.