Twitter beats its 2016 diversity goals but its workforce is still pre-dominantly white and male
Twitter has revealed that it has surpassed the modest workforce diversity targets it set for 2016, but the company has admitted it still has work to do when it comes to the representation of women and minorities within its walls.
Twitter beats its 2016 corporate diversity goals but its workforce is still pre-dominantly white and male
The social network's most recent diversity update noted that 37% of its 3000 staff are women, coming in at 2% above its goal for this year. Women in leadership positions are now 5% above target at 30%.
Underrepresented minorities comprise 11% of Twitter's workforce and while just 9% of these work in tech roles the numbers align with the firm's 2016 diversity blueprint.
In 2016 Twitter went from having no underrepresented minorities in leadership positions to having racial and ethnic minorities make up 6% of the its leadership.
While its progress is limited, Twitter says it hopes the incremental changes will have a long-term impact.
“Our commitment to inclusion and diversity is fundamental to who we are and crucial to the effectiveness of our service,” Jeffrey Siminoff, Twitter’s vice-president of inclusion and diversity wrote in a blog post, adding that "one-and-done measurements" don’t apply at the company and as such it is setting new representation goals for 2017.
Twitter's projected diversity goals for the next twelve months include a commitment to boost women and minority staff working within its walls.
"We know that the effects of our actions - many of which were new for 2016 -cannot be immediate," Siminoff continued. "We are focused on sustained efforts that will help us draw more diverse talent, create great experiences and careers, and foster a culture of belonging that fully lives up to the spirit of community on Twitter itself."
The tech community has been under pressure in recent years to make its workforce less male and white, with Facebook recently blaming a lack of talent rising up through the ranks for its poor diversity figures.