Diversity in Workplace: Statistics | Update 2024

Diversity in the workplace is a very broad topic that concerns different groups, minorities, and stakeholders. Therefore, if we want to talk about the topic, it is necessary to break down all its factors and present the data for each of them, since data in a general view does not reflect the specific realities.

In this statistic roundup, you’ll learn:

– DEI Programs

– The Situation in the US: Overview

– Women in the Inclusion Landscape

– Ethnicity Diversity in the Workplace

– LGBT Population in the Workplace

– Disabled Minorities as Laborforce

– Companies’ Perspectives

– Benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Is your company offering jobs for people with disabilities? As an employer, you can publish your job offers on MyDisabilityJobs and reach thousands of qualified candidates.

Statistics of Diversity in the Workplace: (Editors Picks)

• The most gender-diverse companies are 21% more like to experience above-average profitability.
• Only 30% of white men think that diversity and inclusion are essential in the workplace.
• Women leaders are up to twice as likely to spend substantial time on Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) activities than men.
• The likelihood of outperformance is higher for diversity in ethnicity than for gender.
• In 28 states of the US, LGBT people lack statutory protections from discrimination in employment.
• Although 90% of companies claim to prioritize diversity, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives.
• Zoom is the leading tech company on diversity and inclusion in the US with a 9.4 score. Among the list, PayPal is the last with a 3.2 score.

Source: Workplace from Meta, McKinsey & Company, UCLA, WeForum, LinkHumans

DEI Programs

• Only 30% of boomer employees are familiar with the concept of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs.

• The US is the second country with more access to DEI programs worldwide. The first one is China.

• These are the most important outcomes of DEI programs worldwide.

Source: Dynata, Dynata, Dynata.

The Situation in the US: Overview

• The US is the country where employees most value working with people different from them. Followed by Spain and Australia.

• 50% of black people agree that diversity and inclusion are essential in the workplace, while only 30% of white men think the same.

• Compared to Germany, the UK, and France, the USA leads the workplace discrimination rates. Also leading causes of discrimination such as gender, age, racism, and sexual orientation.

Related Research: Statistics of Disability Discrimination in the Workplace

Source: Dynata, Purpose Brand, Glassdoor.

Women in the Inclusion Landscape

• Despite making up 50% of the population, women generate just 37% of GDP.

• Women, especially women of color, remain significantly underrepresented in leadership.

• Representation of women of color falls off relative to white men, white women, and men of color at every step in the corporate pipeline, leaving them severely underrepresented at the top.

• Compared with men at their level, women leaders are up to twice as likely to spend substantial time on DEI work that falls outside their formal job responsibilities, such as supporting employee resource groups, organizing events, and recruiting employees from underrepresented groups.
• Women are also more likely than men to take allyship actions such as mentoring women of color, advocating for new opportunities for them, and actively confronting discrimination.
• 17% of men think it is not important at all to change policies to support gender diversity in the global tech workplace.

Looking for more stats about the tech industry and D&I ? Take a look at our article about Diversity In The Tech Industry Statistics

Source: Workplace from Meta, McKinsey & Company, Dice Holdings.

Ethnicity Diversity in the Workplace

• According to The McGregor-Smith Review, not only are employees from black and under-represented ethnic backgrounds more likely to be judged heavily in the workplace, they’re less likely to apply for and be granted promotions.
• 25% of HR directors and 36% of DEI practitioners reported having no Black, Asian, or other under-represented ethnic employees on their main board.
• 100% of respondents reported that Black, Asian, and under-represented ethnic employees represent less than 11% of senior executive or leadership teams.
• The likelihood of outperformance is higher for diversity in ethnicity than for gender.
• 51% of billion-dollar startups in the US were founded by immigrants.
• 57% of the employees think their companies should be more diverse. 
• 41% of managers say they are too busy to implement diversity initiatives. 
• 15 times more sales revenue is generated by diverse workplaces than those with the lowest levels of racial diversity.

Source: McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Co, Glassdoor, SHRM.

LGBT Population in the Workplace

• Over 8 million workers in the U.S. identify as LGBT.
• In 28 states of the US, LGBT people lack statutory protections from discrimination in employment.
• 65% of the LGBT community believes diversity and inclusion are essential to supportive company culture, while only 35% of white men think the same.

• 58% of female LGBTQ+ respondents found themselves as “the only one in the room” often and that number rose to 66% with LGBTQ+ women of color.
• While around 5% of women in the U.S. identify as LGBT, the report only found 2.3% in entry-level positions and less than one percent in managerial positions.
• For LGBTQ+ men, around 4% identified as LGBTQ+, while representation in the workplace reached about 3% for entry-level employees as well as managers.
• Over 45% of LGBT workers reported experiencing unfair treatment at work, including being fired, not hired, or harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity at some point in their lives.
• One in ten LGBT workers experienced discrimination at work in the last year.
• 8.9% of employed LGBT people reported that they were fired or not hired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year, including 11.3% of LGBT employees of color and 6.5% of white LGBT employees.
• 29% of LGBT employees of color reported not being hired based on their LGBT status compared to 18.3% of white LGBT employees.
• 63% of LGBT employees of color said that religion was a motivating factor in their experiences of workplace discrimination compared to 49.4% of white LGBT employees.
• Over twice as many transgender employees reported not being hired (43.9%) because of their LGBT status compared to cisgender employees (21.5%).

LGBT Experiencing Harassment in the Workplace

• One in five (20.8%) LGBT employees reported experiencing physical harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Reports of physical harassment included being “punched,” “hit,” and ‘beaten up” in the workplace.
• LGBT employees of color were significantly more likely to report experiencing verbal harassment (35.6% compared to 25.9%) at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity than white LGBT employees.
• Transgender employees were significantly more likely to report experiencing verbal harassment over the course of their careers than cisgender LGB employees (43.8% compared to 29.3%). In many cases, verbal harassment came from employees’ supervisors and co-workers, as well as customers.
• One in four LGBT employees reported experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace because of their sexual orientation and gender identity at some point in their careers.
• 67% of LGBT employees reported having heard negative comments, slurs, or jokes about LGBTQ people at work.
• Many LGBT people avoid discrimination and harassment in the workplace by not being out to their supervisors and co-workers. Half of LGBT employees said that they are not open about being LGBT to their current supervisor and one-quarter are not out to any of their co-workers.
• Those who are out to at least some people in the workplace were three times more likely to report experiences of discrimination or harassment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity than those who are not out to anyone in the workplace (53.3% compared to 17.9%).
• 34.2% of LGBT employees said that they have left a job because of how they were treated by their employer based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Source: UCLA, UCLA, McKinsey & CO

Disabled Minorities as Laborforce

• In 2019, 19% of persons with a disability were employed. In contrast, the employment-population ratio for persons without a disability was 66%.
• Workers with disabilities are paid 7 to 13% less than their abled peers.
• Although 90% of companies claim to prioritize diversity, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives, according to a report from the Return On Disability Group. And only a small subset truly serves customers with disabilities.
• The cost of excluding people with disabilities represents up to 7% of GDP in some countries. With 28% higher revenue, double net income, 30% higher profit margins, and strong next-generation talent acquisition and retention, a disability-inclusive business strategy promises a significant return on investment.
• While less than half of the women think their company has diversity and inclusion initiatives, 77% of the disabled community think their company has those.

Source: Ruccucci Norma, WeForum, Purpose Brand.

Companies’ Perspectives

• The majority of companies worldwide focus their diversity and inclusion efforts on gender aspects and other categories are left underrepresented.

• Zoom is the leading tech company on diversity and inclusion in the US with a 9.4 score. Among the list, PayPal is the last with a 3.2 score.

• The majority of fortune 500 companies support their lgbtq+ employees by offering inclusive benefits like:
  • 93% of the companies have non-discrimination policies that include sexual orientation.
  • 91% have non-discrimination policies that include gender identity.
  • 56% include domestic partner benefits.
  • 66% include transgender-inclusive benefits.

Source: LinkedIn, LinkHumans

Benefits of Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.

There are numerous benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, let’s look at some of the most obvious.

• A wider talent pool: Companies that don’t encourage women to join them are missing out on the talents and abilities of half the population. The same can be extended to other minority groups.
• Different perspectives: A multiplicity of perspectives can spark creativity and innovation, and help organizations spot and seize new opportunities.
• Enhanced collaboration: Having gender diversity in teams can help improve team processes and boost group collaboration. Researchers have observed that women have stronger skills in reading non-verbal cues. And groups with more women are better at taking turns in conversation, which helps them make the most of the group’s combined knowledge and skills.
• Improved staff retention: Having an inclusive culture in your workplace boosts morale and opportunity. Inclusive workplaces tend to have lower employee churn rates – which represents big savings in terms of time and money spent on recruitment.
• A better reflection of your customers: Customers come from all walks of life. The more the make-up of your organization reflects your customers the more likely you’ll communicate effectively with them.
• Greater profitability: The most gender-diverse companies are 21% more like to experience above-average profitability.

Source: Workplace from Meta

Is your company offering jobs for people with disabilities? As an employer, you can publish your job offers on MyDisabilityJobs and reach thousands of qualified candidates.

Conclusion

As we reviewed in the previous sections, each minority or vulnerable group is gradually generating its process of recognition in the labor market and integrating into it. Each group has its different trajectories, needs, and times. Within all this, what can unite each of the groups is the struggle for the vindication of their rights and capabilities and the common element they need is the commitment on the part of companies and public or private policies that allow equitable access.

It has already become evident the wide range of benefits that being inclusive and diverse brings to companies, however, growth and progress are still slow. Nevertheless, important organizations are betting on DEI programs and there is a path of hope for the future.

Related articles:

Costs of Bullying and Harassment in the Workplace

Workplace Bullying Statistics Research & Facts

Intellectual Disability Employment Statistics

Statistics on Employees Burnout in the Workplace

Neurodiversity in the Workplace Statistics

Disability and Depression Statistics

ADHD Employment Statistics

Mental Health and Employment Statistics

Disability and Employment Discrimination Statistics

Bipolar Disorder and Employment Statistics

Deaf Employment Statistics

Workplace and Employment Discrimination Statistics