Editor's note: Sam Huisache is research associate at TrustRadius, an Austin, Texas-based information services firm.
TrustRadius recently published the first People of Color in Tech Report with new data on representation, leadership, funding and unconscious bias in the tech industry.
The data in this report comes from a survey of 1,207 tech professionals. Fifty-three percent identified as people of color. The People of Color in Tech Report helps address the lack of research on marginalized populations in the tech industry and helps us all work together toward a more equitable future.
Below are the key findings from the 2020 report.
POC visibility in tech
Representation of Black, Latine and Native people in the industry is low, but the numbers may be improving. A majority of our survey respondents reported that there are more POC in tech now compared to 10 years ago.
Still, leadership representation remains an issue. Sixty-seven percent of tech professionals report their leadership teams are one-fourth or less POC.
D&I departments and executives
Forty-four percent of our respondents work at companies with a D&I department or executive. But not everyone is convinced that D&I works.
When asked whether or not D&I initiatives are actually effective, 60% of survey respondents reported that they do believe D&I initiatives can be effective, very effective or extremely effective.
Tech CEOs and founders are more divided on the issue. Across all job titles and levels, they are the least likely to believe D&I initiatives to be effective, at 51%.
Challenges
Discrimination
Diversity and inclusion are so relevant in tech today because many POC still face discrimination in the office. POC are twice as likely to experience discrimination at work compared to their white peers.
Of the 19% of white tech professionals who did report issues, all were of ethnic minorities, such as Latines.
VC funding gap for POC-owned startups
One way racial inequality appears in tech is in venture capital funding and the access POC entrepreneurs have to backers. POC entrepreneurs have a harder time finding backing or receive less backing than white founders.
We asked respondents to share how much or how little they were concerned with this gap in venture capital funding. Sixty-five percent of respondents are fairly or very concerned about the VC funding gap for POC-owned startups, indicating that the industry overall is looking toward change.
Black respondents are the most likely to be concerned about the gap, with 80% seriously concerned.
The greater concern from Black respondents is most likely related to data which highlights the VC gap in general for Black entrepreneurs compared to their white peers.
Mentorship
Receiving mentorship is a key component of career progression for many tech leaders. However, POC may find it difficult to connect with a mentor. This is one way they are at a disadvantage to their white peers.
Reporting discrimination to HR
People of color do not always feel comfortable advocating for themselves within the industry, at their companies and on their teams. POC are less likely to feel comfortable discussing discrimination with HR than white respondents.
Unconscious bias and hiring
Recruiting and hiring are commonly seen as the number one reason for a lack of POC in tech. But there appears to be a major gap in perceptions of just how much unconscious bias affects hiring processes. Forty-five percent of POC think unconscious bias plays a major role in interviewing and hiring, compared to just 27% of white respondents.
Many tech industry hires are made directly through networking – especially upper-level leadership roles. Yet network-based hiring can be discriminatory.
Improvements still need to be made
How do tech professionals rate our industry in terms of stepping up to the plate to address inequality? Not well. Sixty-seven percent of respondents think tech companies could do more to address racial inequality. Eighteen percent think companies are doing enough, and 15% think companies are actually doing too much.
People of color are more likely than white respondents to want their employers to do more to address inequality.
Fifty-eight percent of the respondents who said companies are actually doing too much identified as non-Hispanic white. This indicates a potentially major barrier to progress – that the largest group doesn’t seem to have a problem with the status quo, and may even prefer the status quo.
When we asked our POC respondents how they would prefer companies to better support them, the number one answer was improving diversity recruitment.
The full-length People of Color in Tech Report includes additional statistics and analysis into these crucial issues, insights from TrustRadius CEO Vinay Bhagat and 10 exclusive interviews with other POC leaders in the tech space. Click here to view the full report.