Major US companies gave 94% of new jobs to people of color in 2021, report says

WASHINGTON (TND) — Of the more than 323,000 jobs added to the U.S. workforce by major companies in 2021, 94% went to people of color, according to Bloomberg.

The data stems from an analysis of 88 workforce demographic reports submitted to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission by S&P 100 companies. The companies include industry giants Apple, Wells Fargo and Walmart.

Of the 88 companies, which employ a combined 9 million people, 74 saw an increase in the number of workers of color from 2020 to 2021.

White workers accounted for 20,524 jobs or just 6%, while people of color accounted for 300,000 jobs. Hispanic individuals accounted for the most hires with 40%, followed by Black and Asian people with 23% and 22% respectively.

The shift followed public commitments by several of these companies in 2020 to hire more people of color, according to Bloomberg. Microsoft promised to double its number of Black managers and senior leaders in the U.S. by 2025, while Amazon said it would double its number of Black vice presidents and directors.

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Multiple companies, including Nike, also joined OneTen, a nonprofit coalition which strives to get 1 million Black employees middle-class jobs within a decade.

Much of the workers of color accounted for in Bloomberg's analysis were added to fill position in lower-level roles, such as sales and labor. Those same roles also subtracted more than 18,000 White workers.

Hiring decisions for executive positions were seemingly more balanced, as 1,300 workers of color were added compared to 1,000 White.

At major companies that lost employees, 68.5% were White workers compared to 16.5% Black, 9.7% Hispanic and 2.3% Asian. At Nike, 1,000 White employees left the company.

Bloomberg noted that some of these decisions may have already been undone following significant job cuts due to economic slowing and backlash against corporate diversity initiatives. Broader societal trends may also be at play in these numbers, the publication suggested, such as a significant number of White employees retiring during the pandemic.

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Efforts aimed at promoting diversity in workplaces have received backlash nationwide. Late last year, Texas A&M University was sued over a hiring practice which allegedly discriminated against White and Asian male applicants seeking employment opportunities at the school.

Last summer, New York City was accused of covertly attempting to increase diversity in city leadership roles by requiring eligible candidates to submit photos of themselves.