Apple’s U.S. workforce is a bit more diverse than it was a year ago, but still predominantly white and male, suggests the most recent EEO-1 Federal Employer Information report.
According to newly-released figures, roughly 30 percent of Apple’s U.S. employees are female, around 8.6 percent are African-American, and 11.7 percent are hispanic or Latino. That’s marginally up from 29 percent female, 8 percent African-American, and 11.5 percent hispanic and Latino in 2014.
Close to 83 percent of Apple’s senior execs and managers are male, with 83.5 percent also white.
The push for diversity has been an ongoing issue, particularly in the tech industry, as of late. Recently Apple was pushed by an investor to rethink its executive line after it was criticized for being a, “little bit too vanilla” in its hiring. In the aftermath, Apple was asked to promote an “accelerated recruitment policy,” although it has argued against this.
The subject was also recently in the news when Apple’s Director of Worldwide Inclusion & Diversity was hired away by Twitter — prompting an online backlash after it was found that he was a white male.
Personally, I always find stories like this troubling. Apple should be hiring the best person, regardless of gender and ethnicity. Certainly, people from every background should be made aware of the possibilities of getting jobs in STEM fields — and I’d support any bill which enhances emphasis on these subjects — but jumping on Apple for not imposing overnight quotas seems reductive and downright damaging.
Rather than looking at the percentage of women and minorities employed by Apple in the U.S., wouldn’t it make more sense to compare the company’s recent hires with the percentage of women, African-American and hispanic and Latino people graduating at the top of the class in the areas Apple is looking to recruit?
Am I wrong? Leave your thoughts on this complex topic below.
Source: Apple
Via: Apple Insider
