Today’s Talent Gap and the History of Black Innovation – Part II
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“Diversity is America’s unique advantage in science and technology,” asserted Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), as the organization released its Diversity and STEM report last year.
As we learned last week, there is a strong US history of Black innovation that, unfortunately, is often overlooked but nonetheless key to the success of America’s STEM fields. If you have not yet read Part I, I would encourage you to do so before continuing with today’s article.
The NSF report showed that increased representation in STEM occupations is still lagging behind other sectors. Worse still, among all ethnic groups, those who identified as Black or African American had the lowest workforce representation in STEM occupations in 2021.
This situation persists even though diversity is a key factor in closing the talent gap. And the tech industry is no exception to the history of Black innovation. There are some very notable pioneers such as Roy Clay, Sr., the “Godfather of Silicon Valley,” and Herman Chinery-Hesse, the “Bill Gates of Africa,” who was named as one of the 100 most influential Africans of our time.
But how do Black employees explain the issues themselves?
In a survey by Pew Research Center, Black workers in STEM jobs ranked lack of access to education and hiring discrimination as the major reasons for underrepresentation in these fields. In addition, the majority of Black STEM employees (57%) stated that there was not enough attention to increasing diversity in their workplaces, which was more than double the response rate for any other group.
Other statistics bear this out. Black Americans remain strongly underrepresented in science and engineering fields (including computer science). Recently, McKinsey reported on the underrepresentation of Black people in the US tech industry, especially at senior levels, and argued that Black talent is being left behind in the fastest-growing roles.
This is “risking billions” if companies fail to address underrepresentation, they concluded, and we encountered a history in my last newsletter that illustrates why this is the case. Therefore, ensuring best practices in diversity recruitment is essential for STEM employers. I would like to share a few practical suggestions to achieve this that are already gaining momentum in many workplaces.
Points for Action
Hire for skills, not certificates. I have mentioned the rise of skills-based hiring before, and at a time of increasing employer support for upskilling and reskilling to fit the demands of changing job roles, this makes more sense than ever. Notably, over 60% of Black workers have gained the necessary skills for higher-paying jobs through military service, community colleges, work experience, and the like, even though the majority of them do not hold a four-year college degree. And former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty explained that this can apply just as much to jobs in tech or health care as it does anywhere else.
Focus on retention, not just hiring. If you are a regular reader of this newsletter, you will know that I often encounter organizations that have fantastic recruitment programs but are undermining those efforts to increase diversity by overlooking retention. This is essential, because Black employees are 30% more likely to leave jobs than White employees. Black tech professionals are no exception and change jobs more often than their non-Black counterparts. Building inclusive workplaces really matters, and I have seen it make an impact many times.
Provide an ecosystem of support. Ensure equitable access to sponsorship programs, which tend to give more opportunities for advancement to White than Black employees. In particular, the lack of early- and mid-career sponsorship and mentorship are “leakage points” in increasing diversity in the tech sector. Informal mentor networks that help build soft skills are not always available to Black talent, so ensure your company gives the right support to employees to help them realize their ambition and career self-determination.
As our research shows, Black innovation has long been a part of the STEM field, but historically it was often overlooked. My sincere hope is that we will not let this oversight continue to repeat itself, but each do our part to increase diversity and retention without harm. I hope this article has also convinced you that increasing diversity will benefit STEM employers by closing the talent gap and empowering a new chapter of impactful Black innovation in 21st-century workplaces.
JOIN US IN THE COMMENTS: If you work in a STEM field, did the survey findings above resonate with your own experiences? Alternatively, have you seen the talent gap close where you work through promoting increased diversity? We value feedback and insight from our community feedback and encourage you to comment below if anything stood out to you today.
