Dive Brief:
- Apple reported on Wednesday that it’s making headway with its gender and ethnic diversity efforts.
- The company said its ahead of Google and Facebook in hiring minorities.
- Apple has also closed pay gaps over the last year, according to the company’s annual diversity and inclusion report.
Dive Insight:
Apple's overall U.S. workforce as of June was 19% Asian, 12% Hispanic and 9% black. Women currently make up 32% of the company’s global workforce.
"They are clearly setting the pace, making measurable progress for three consecutive years. They've acted with intention, not just aspiration," Reverend Jesse Jackson said in a statement. In 2014, Jackson confronted Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's lack of diversity.
After releasing statistics showing a general lack of diversity among their workers, several tech companies, including Microsoft, Intel and HP, vowed to double their efforts at promoting more diverse workplaces.
In June, more than 30 tech companies signed a promise to improve inclusive hiring practices. The companies sent a letter to President Obama committing to regularly publish data and progress metrics on the diversity of their technology employees and to collaborate to build a diverse pipeline of technology workers, among other actions.
