There’s already a strong moral and business case for improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. Organisations should, of course, reflect the societies they serve. But it’s not just about fairness. Time and again, studies have shown that companies with diverse skill sets – and therefore different ideas and approaches – perform better. McKinsey research into the impact of diversity confirms that such organisations see better results. Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity in executive teams, for example, are 39% more likely to see financial returns above their national industry medians.
The case for encouraging a more diverse set of candidates to enter the tech and cyber security industry is clear. If successful, this could help alleviate skills challenges and drive DE&I strategies. However, there are significant obstacles to overcome.
Cultural representation in tech
Tech Talent Charter’s annual 2024 Diversity in Tech report – sponsored by BAE Systems Digital Intelligence – gathered data from over 700 UK tech signatories which together employ close to 977,000 people to highlight progress and set-backs when it comes to DE&I across the industry.
This years’ findings underline the disparity in self-reporting processes and the representation of minority groups across the industry. The report revealed:
- 25% of UK tech employees are ethnic minorities, 5% are black
- 22% of software engineers are ethnic minorities
- 14% of senior tech role holders are ethnic minorities
The ethnicity data, shared by over 140,000 tech employees, paints a complex picture. As stated in the report, it shows that there is: “a relatively high proportion of ethnic minority representation in tech compared to the UK workforce overall. However, this doesn’t tell the whole story because the tech ecosystem is skewed towards London, which has higher ethnic diversity, meaning that the benchmark for ethnic diversity in tech should be higher than the national average.”
While there is evidently some way to go, promisingly, Tech Talent Charter found that efforts to improve racial and ethnic diversity feature prominently across its tech signatories, with ethnic diversity now the second most-focused on area of DE&I after gender. For example, 73% of companies are collecting ethnicity data from their workforce and 63% are taking some sort of action to improve ethnic diversity.
“By learning about other cultures, we can question our own assumptions and biases, gain empathy and discover new ways to appreciate our friends, colleagues, suppliers and customers.”Yatin Mistry, Senior Solutions Architect
Inspiring inclusion
As Yatin Mistry, one of our Senior Solutions Architects, highlights: By driving greater cultural diversity and “learning about other cultures, we can question our own assumptions and biases, gain empathy and discover new ways to appreciate our friends, colleagues, suppliers and customers.”
Our recent Driving Digital Diversity research also highlights a clear opportunity for the tech sector to hire from this talent pool. With 79% of the general public from Asian, Black or from other and multiple ethnic groups stating they’d be interested in switching careers to pursue a job in technology, in comparison to 60% of those from white British backgrounds. So what can those working in DE&I, HR and community investment functions do to bring cultural diversity to the fore if it’s not already?
What can I do in the next 3 minutes?
What can I do in 3 weeks?
How can I make long term impact?
Bear in mind that you cannot boil the ocean, if you try to do too much too quickly then nothing can be achieved well. Try not to overwhelm yourself with it. You can’t do everything at the same time. It’s better to do a few small things well or one big thing well, learn from it and keep building on that progress. You can do things quicker once you get a process in place.
At BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, we’re committed to inspiring a culture of inclusion, equity and belonging. A culture in which people can authentically reach their full potential and see themselves reflected, supported and celebrated at all levels of our organisation.
The pillars of our approach are People, Wellbeing and Engagement. Through this, we strive for two key outcomes to gauge our success: measureable impact and things that just feel right. The result being the creation of a community where our employees feel as if they are valuable, contributing members of the team, and that they are respected for their unique abilities, experiences and differences.
Now more than ever, we as an industry need to double down on all aspects of DE&I in tech and beyond to buck the trend on slow and fragile progress. We must demonstrate it’s an exciting, supportive and inclusive industry that people want to stay in for the long term. To ultimately improve attraction and retention rates, we must show tech is for all.
To delve into the topic of cultural diversity more closely, I caught up with members of Embrace, our employee resource group supporting ethic and cultural diversity, as part of a discussion around building a business case for diversity. Hear from our colleagues first hand:
Our first complimentary insight report is available to download now, covering:
- The case for diversity
- Top five perceived barriers to a tech career
- Exploring the challenges facing minorities
- A pathway to greater social mobility