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"We’ve always been reluctant to publish numbers about the diversity of our workforce at Google. We now realize we were wrong, and that it’s time to be candid about the issues. Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity, and it’s hard to address these kinds of challenges if you’re not prepared to discuss them openly, and with the facts. So, here are our numbers:"
Color me stunned at the incredibly small 2% black employment figure from a corporation that has always supported liberals and liberal politics. At a minimum, if Google is not racist (and/or sexist), something very hypocritical is afoot here, because they have always alleged that they support diversity.
It is a little hard to say, I think I would need more information. I guess logically it would make sense to say that the majority of those employed with Google has a computer based job (or engineering/math of some sort). There is also accounting, pr, human resources, etc. (things that are not necessarily related to computers, science or math). According to the 2011 US Census Bureau, Blacks ages 25-64 only held 6% of all STEM Jobs. Of that 6% only 7% were in the field of computers. The numbers are similar with Hispanics. 6.5% of all working Hispanics ages 25-64 had a STEM occupation. Of that 6% are computer related. So it is not like Google has a huge pool to work with. The numbers of Asians in the STEM field are a stark contrast to Hispanics and Blacks. http://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/acs-24.pdf
Though I do believe Google can do a better job in hiring minorities. B/c even if there are less Black individuals majoring in the STEM fields "unemployment rates are higher for minority scientists and engineers than for white scientists and engineers, and the rate is higher for Asian female than for Asian male scientists and engineers," (source http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/wmpd/2...304_digest.pdf). Which I think is reflective of how people prefer their own race, gender, people of the same religion, etc and this preference maybe exercised (consciously or not) through the hiring process.
I'm not sure if a quota system would really help? I think the problem roots from the fact that there is only a small percentage of minorities (excluding Asians) that earn a degree in the STEM or computer field. In addition, I believe that an institution/corporation as prestigious as Google isn't going to just accept an employee with a degree. I mean you really have to be a top notch engineer to work at a place like this. That eliminates already so many potential employees with the basic qualifications (white or minorities). This even lessens the pool of people they can hire from especially for Blacks and Hispanics.
Again, I'm not negating the fact that there is probably biases during the hiring process but the problem really seems to be that there isn't enough minorities earning degrees in the STEM fields.
Google is kind of just the recipient of all the steps before it. Do I think they're intentionally being racist? Not at all. But I think that blacks make up a smaller percentage of the people qualified to do the job they're looking for. It puts Google in a tough situation, are they looking to hire the best person for the job, or are they looking to become an affirmative action company.
I don't think comparing the 2% to the total population is fair, but to really know this, we would need to know how many qualified black people applied for positions at google. If no one is applying or no one is qualified, they can't be blamed for the the fact that the education process isn't creating black workers with the skills they need from an employee.
As the article points out at the end:
Quote:
Around 30,000 students took the AP computer science exam, and only around 20% were female, according to the analysis, 3% were black, and just 8% were Hispanic, for example.
So there's going to be a big skew in the employee demographics based on who's been studying the topic since high school vs who just picked it up later.
Diversity ? Google
Looks like all races except Asians are underrepresented. Perhaps they could ask the 1% 'other' & the 4% 'multi-racial' to be more specific.
What is the availability demographics for the skill sets they hire for?
Google cannot force black people or any other race to acquire skills needed to gain employment there.
Are you suggesting Google should not hire the most qualified applicant?
How many blacks have even applied for positions at Google? Have you ran an impact ratio analysis on this?
The NBA is all about diversity also, but what is that? Oh yes, the majority of their players are black, even though they represent how much of the population? DO you suggest the NBA should not hire the most qualified player?
looks like a company that racists favoring Asians and males, neutral on whites, and negative racist towards blacks, women and Hispanics.
Maybe they just hire the best candidate and that's the way it comes out in high tech? I work for an engineering company and we look very white and male based.
"We’ve always been reluctant to publish numbers about the diversity of our workforce at Google. We now realize we were wrong, and that it’s time to be candid about the issues. Put simply, Google is not where we want to be when it comes to diversity, and it’s hard to address these kinds of challenges if you’re not prepared to discuss them openly, and with the facts. So, here are our numbers:"
Color me stunned at the incredibly small 2% black employment figure from a corporation that has always supported liberals and liberal politics. At a minimum, if Google is not racist (and/or sexist), something very hypocritical is afoot here, because they have always alleged that they support diversity.
I'm sure Google hires the best candidate available, would they care about race, sex, color, religion? In order to be the best, you hire the best.
While I realize they have more than one office location, the main "campus" is in Mountain View / Silicon Valley. Are you all familiar with the demographics here? Outside of the tiny pocket of East Palo Alto (which doesn't fully qualify, since it's in SM County), our black population is quite small... meanwhile, the Asian population is among the highest and most diverse in the nation. So when you factor in those little details, a 2% figure isn't all that shocking or suspicious. I also realize not all of their employees come from the Bay Area, but a good percentage do, which might account for some of those stats. Additionally, they hire a lot of recent grads from Stanford, SCU, SJSU, UCB, etc, all of which have a HIGH percentage of Asian students.
Just for the record & anecdotal value, my black & gay "brother" (like a surrogate brother) had a 10+ year career with Google's Legal team. They treated him fabulously, and the pay/stocks helped to finance his way through law school! I can also assure you he wasn't hired solely for a diversity point, seeing as he came in with an Ivy League Bachelor's Degree + a whole host of other desirable qualities. Knowing what I do about the company, both from my brother and from living nearby, IMO they're not one you need to vilify.
Last edited by gizmo980; 05-29-2014 at 06:51 AM..
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I can also assure you he wasn't hired solely for a diversity point, seeing as he came in with an Ivy League Bachelor's Degree + a whole host of other desirable qualities. Knowing what I do about the company, both from my brother and from living nearby, IMO they're not one you need to vilify.