Research company Hired recently released its annual report on the tech workforce.
Titled the “State of Wage Inequality in the Tech Industry,” the report uses marketplaces data and surveys of tech employers as well as employees to gather data on wage and hiring biases in the field.
Looking at the trends in 2022, Hired found that there were discriminatory practices in the hiring process amongst tech companies. According to the report, out of all the job positions studied, employers of 38% of tech positions submitted interview requests to only men in the process of filling the role.
While the number is an improvement from rates recorded only five years ago, it points to a reverse trend from the previous year’s decreasing percentage of gender discrimination among interview requests.
According to the new Hired report, there were also racial discriminatory practices found in the job hiring process. The new data showed that 12% of job positions had employers send interview requests to white job applicants only.
Along with hiring bias, Hired’s new impact report also found biases in the wages offered in the tech world. Black women, specifically, were paid the least out of every demographic, recording the widest wage gap for the second year in a row.
According to the research found, for every dollar that white men were paid, Black women were paid $0.90 in 2022. The wage gap is an increase from the one recorded in 2021; whereas white men were paid one dollar, Black women were paid just $0.92.
“Wage bias in the workplace prevents fair and equitable compensation for all employees,” said the Hired researchers per the report. “To maintain a positive employer brand it’s imperative to pay employees equally for the same quality of work.”
Overall, the tech field hasn’t been inclusive, as the industry’s low percentage of Black American and women employees has been well documented throughout the years.
According to a recent McKinsey report, although they make up 12% of the total population, only 8% of Black Americans hold positions in the tech field. When it comes to executive roles, only three percent of these positions are filled by Black tech employees.
Tech companies have been slow to include Black women in particular, as a 2022 Zippia report found that only 3% of Black women hold positions in the field.
Despite the current underrepresentation, there are initiatives that are working towards diversifying the tech world.
Nonprofits such as Code2040 and grants by large tech companies such as Google are all helping current and upcoming Black tech entrepreneurs find support in the field.
