Despite the many academic symposiums, STEM programs, and corporate efforts towards diversity, the high tech sector has made frighteningly little progress over the past two decades, according to a new report by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The EEOC found that women are still underrepresented in the high tech sector, as are Black and Hispanic workers.
This comes at a time when there’s been a long-running worker shortage in high tech, especially in cybersecurity. CyberSeek reports there are nearly 500,000 open cybersecurity positions in the United States alone, and a shortage of 4 million worldwide.
Other highlights from the EEOC report:
- Women are 22.6% of the high-tech workforce — the same share as in the past two decades — far less than their representation in the total U.S. workforce (47.3%). Women were even more underrepresented in higher-paying high-tech jobs within the high-tech sector (19.4%).
- Black workers were just 7.4% of the high-tech workforce and 5.7% of high-tech managers, despite making up 11.6% of the total U.S. workforce. Glaringly, it’s only a slight increase from the representation of Black workers in 2005, which was at 6%.
- Hispanic workers were now only 9.9% of the high-tech workforce and 8.1% of high-tech managers, while making up nearly one-fifth (18.7%) of the total U.S. workforce.
"For those of us working tirelessly on the frontlines of this issue, this report's findings come as no surprise,” said MK Palmore, president of Cyversity. “Building truly inclusive and equitable workplaces demands unwavering commitment and consistent effort. Many organizations have lost focus, and this reflects a leadership failure to grasp the immense benefits to their workforce's well-being and overall productivity. We must remain steadfast in our pursuit of progress."
Rob Rashotte, vice president of global training and technical field enablement at Fortinet, pointed out that 70% of leaders surveyed said that the cybersecurity skills shortage created additional risks for their organizations. Rashotte said this finding emphasizes the significance of both upskilling and reskilling existing employees, as well as the need for recruiters and hiring managers to take more imaginative and flexible approaches to recruiting new talent.
“Reexamining and revising education and training requirements for cybersecurity roles is a great place to start,” said Rashotte. “For example, many organizations still prioritize traditional qualifications such as four-year degrees, however, more than 90% of our survey respondents say that candidates with cybersecurity certifications stand out.”
Tough numbers to absorb
The stagnant percentage of women in the tech industry indicated that, despite the progress made, women still have fewer employment opportunities in companies that are at the forefront of innovation in the industry,” said Linor Shust Magen, vice president of human resources at venture cap firm YL Ventures.
Shust Magen added that at the early stages, the core team employed by the founders is small and commonly made up of friends from their closest circles — people they know and trust. This approach, while understandable, limits the possibilities for inclusion and diversity of thought and representation, said Shust Magen.
“The very absence of women at these stages can potentially affect the ability to recruit other women throughout the company's growth stages, as we have found that women are not inclined to join startups in their earliest stages because they will often be the first women in the company,” said Shust Magen. “Entrepreneurs must be aware of this issue from the earliest stages and ensure that HR processes are specifically tailored with this in mind, with an emphasis on development and product roles.”
Caroline Rosenberg, vice president of marketing at Adaptive Shield, said encouraging more women and minorities to join and advance in their careers starts with having women and minorities in leadership positions. This creates a supportive environment that understands the different needs they have.
Rosenberg said that at Adaptive Shield, 42% of the company’s leadership team are women, while 33% of the company is made up of women in R&D, legal, sales, marketing and customer success roles.
“It's also important to note that as happy as I am when I see more women joining the company, we should not discriminate against anyone, including men,” said Rosenberg. “We need to focus on hiring talent based on skills, experience and the value they bring to the table. Equality means providing everyone with the same opportunities, regardless of gender or race."
NSA cybersecurity expert Evan Dornbush, added that those thinking of a career switch should consider cybersecurity.
“Ours is a diverse group that constantly tinkers and explores, and builds, and breaks,” said Dornbush. “No matter your background or appearance, if you have passion to solve challenges and invest the time in yourself, you are welcome.”
