In the latest round of the tech-company-releases-disappointing-and-unsurprising-employee-diversity-data saga, Facebook on Wednesday published its employee demographics.
Of Facebook's 6,818 employees, 69 percent are male and of its U.S. employees, 57 percent are white. 85 percent of the social media company's tech sector and 77 percent of its senior level leadership are men. (Via Flickr /Pshab)
In short, Facebook's numbers are more of the same for the tech world— white men make up the majority of the company's employees. (Via Flickr / Robert Scoble)
The irony certainly isn't lost on the company. Maxine Williams, Global Head of Diversity at Facebook, wrote in the posting, "We build products to connect the world, and this means we need a team that understands and reflects many different communities, backgrounds and cultures." (Via Flickr / Spencer E Holtaway)
Facebook says it is working to fix the problem. The demographic posting is even entitled "Building a More Diverse Facebook." The company lists a number of programs and strategies — like "providing unconscious bias training for employees," and "partnering with the Anita Borg Institute" — it plans to use to help build a more diverse team.
While most critics are quick to blame tech companies for poor hiring practices, a writer for TechCrunch says it's time to look at the bigger picture — education. (Via Facebook)
"While hiring practices could certainly improve, they’re dealing with systemic inequality. Women and non-asian minorities are not getting the same encouragement in science, technology, engineering, and math that could prepare them for jobs at the tech giants." (Via TechCrunch)
The New York Times quotes the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson Sr. who, in recent months, urged tech companies to release their diversity data. He says Facebook's move is "a step in the right direction." One in which tech companies have an open dialogue about how to handle a lack of diversity. (Via Flickr / Niall Kennedy)
Facebook follows Google, LinkedIn, Yahoo and several other Silicon Valley companies in publishing its employee diversity, all of which reported similar diversity statistics.
