Google releases diversity data, and it isn't good

Himanshu Arora

Posts: 902   +7
Staff

As promised, Google yesterday publicly released data on its workforce diversity. The move comes amid increasing pressure on the technology industry to hire more minorities and women, and while it's certainly a step in the right direction on Google's part, the numbers ilustrate why most Silicon Valley companies have been reluctant to share data so far.

While women represent 30 percent of the company's total workforce, only 17 percent are employed in technology related positions. Talking of leadership positions, the ratio of men to women is 4 to 1.

Asians constitute 34 percent of the search giant's US tech workforce and hold 23 percent of the company's leadership positions. On the other hand, African-Americans and Hispanics represent only 1 and 2 percent of the company's US tech workforce, respectively.

"Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity", Laszlo Block, Google's senior vice president for people operations said in a blog post, adding that a lot of reasons contribute towards lesser representation of women and minorities in tech companies.

For example, women earn around 18 percent of all computer science degrees in the United States, while Blacks and Hispanics constitute less than 10 percent of U.S. college grads, and collect fewer than 5 percent of degrees in CS majors.

According to the most recent census data, Blacks and Hispanics, which make up 13.1 and 16.9 percent of the US population respectively, constitute around 7 percent of the total tech workforce, both in Silicon Valley and nationally.

The data release comes after longtime civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson urged Google to lead the effort to hire more African-Americans, Latinos and women in technology.

Permalink to story.

 
They can't hire certain candidates if the candidates don't exist? If the majority of qualified individuals are white males then that's not Google's fault.

I find it appalling that I could be denied a position I am qualified for simply because I don't have the pigmentation or genitalia they "want".
 
This is embarrassing. Hire who is qualified for the job, that's it. If it isn't politically correct to hire who you NEED, instead hiring what makes you look good - you aren't looking ahead with the best and brightest. You are running a mediocre workforce of diversity. Good luck staying ahead of the curve.

But at least your diversity statistics will look good, that's always a plus.
 
I couldn't agree more. To hell with diversity, you hire the best qualified homo sapiens (or applicable species) for whatever position you want filled as far as I'm concerned.
 
I also agree, wtf this is something you'd see on Onion news. Google's numbers line up with the American averages...get qualified for the position, then complain if you can't find one.
 
So now they want people to hire cus you happened to be black and Hispanic? that's utter bull in my opinion. What happened to being educated enough to deserve the jobs?!? I'm sure the people who are working at google busted their nuts to get their. And some holey donkey cant just come in and say "hey hire more minorities" typical dumb crap you hear from these so called religious freaks who want fame more than the good of the "people" they "defend"
 
I think Jesse Jackson needs to mind his own business and place his energies into areas more appropriate - like the huge black-on-black murder and other crime rates.
 
It's all a big joke anymore. People complain there isn't enough diversity in almost all jobs, when they look at the statistics just to make waves. Are you going to cram a specific kind of education, down someone's throat if it helps balance the diversity? People CHOOSE what they want for a job, based on interests so who's to blame?

Person A wants to be a doctor or laywer (god forbid.. we have enough lawyers), but the government decides they should be something else instead. Is this how they want to work things? I'd literally throw that in their face, when they complain about diversity in jobs. I've a general passion for technology, but someone would rather me as a garbage collector. (Can't think of any particular jobs..)

That's just the perfect path they want. You have to entice people to pick that job, in that specific segment of the population otherwise why bother? You're going to throw a fit because it's too unbalanced, and people point it out because it's often hard to get into that kind of job also. Especially women in specific areas, being the constant insults and more. So.. find a solution to your own problem you created to begin with.
 
This looks like the classic case of putting the cart before the horse. Maybe civil rights leaders should urge more African-Americans, Latinos and women to take technology related degree programs in college first.

This. Work harder to get minorities into colleges with programs that are in-need (I.e., STEM majors) and the diversity will come to the work-force. Also, don't force colleges to take X% of X color (affirmative action). They accept those that are qualified. Start at the roots - the home and neighborhood.

Good home + good friends = good student + good work ethic = qualified student + even better work ethic + motivation = qualified graduate + good people skills = successful career + financial smarts = good retirement << Formula of life (more or less)
 
I'm currently enrolled in the computer science program at my school. I just finished the data structures course this past semester. My first encounter with females in the program was in this course. There were three enrolled in a class of 19. And I know for a fact that at least one has to take it again. I have encountered two black men since I started the program. One changed majors. The other is a friend who continues to succeed in the program.

This diversity nonsense is exactly that, nonsense. There is a movement in society that attempts to wrongfully label others as racist or sexist (even if they don't flat out say it, that's what they mean) for not hiring certain types of people. What it really comes down to is this: can the employer make money from their new hire? That is the concern. Race, sex, gender are all irrelevant.
 
The moment I opened the article I laughed. I skipped the article and went straight to the comments. I do enjoy reading others opinion when it comes to topics like these.
 
Let's see google stop colluding with other selfish bastard companies to keep wages low for their employees first
 
The title of the article:
"Google releases diversity data, and it isn't good"

So right of the bat we know the author, Himanshu Arora, is partial in some way and not keeping to journalist standards.
 
The title of the article:
"Google releases diversity data, and it isn't good"

So right of the bat we know the author, Himanshu Arora, is partial in some way and not keeping to journalist standards.

I don't know the standards for Techspot, but usually the headline is the work of the copy editor, not the writer.
 
So hiring blacks and mexicans=good. Compton must equal super good. the 5'9" and under basketball league is bad as it does not have many blacks.
 
This is crazy... So instead of taking the reality as it is and saying "Hey, women don't do computer science as much as men", they are trying to say that women are equally interested in being programmers, it's just Google doesn't want to hire them. Crazy times... Perhaps they should complain to maternity hospitals that percent of pregnant men is too low! It reminds me of USSR where presenting favourable statistics and meeting the five year plan was more important than common sense. Only in USSR it was about productivity, achieving some goals - and here it's about some crazy "equality" and "diversity" which has no physical sense at all. Who says that when 50% of women will work as programmers, humanity will be happier or better off? Why achieving a goal that has no sense? Just so politicians could win votes. Walking out, seeing the world upside down, but it's OK because it's all for a good course - so someone could be rich and someone could be in power. Wake me up on Judgement Day...
 
An Asian in America is more rare than a Black or Hispanic. Google has a 37% minority workforce which is higher than the general population of 27% minority. What is the problemo yo.
 
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