The Central Intelligence Agency has consistently failed in recruiting racial and ethnic minorities and promoting them to higher ranks, according to an internal study the agency released Tuesday.
Minorities make up less than 24 percent of the CIA workforce and only 10.8 percent of its top Senior Intelligence Service, the report reveals.
Among the most experienced employees whose ranks feed into the leadership jobs, known as GS-15s in the parlance of government pay scales, minorities make up 15.2 percent, CNN reports.
Concerned by the report's findings, CIA Director John Brennan vowed to implement the report's recommendations, noting that a lack of diversity at the agency's highest levels has not allowed it to optimize its capabilities at a crucial time in its history; according to ABC News.
"Without diversity we're not going to be able to do our job," said Brennan.
Since its founding in 1947, the CIA has been primarily made up of white males with Ivy League educations.
One of the most notable findings is that since 2008, the percentage of minorities hired by the CIA has declined to below what is needed to sustain current minority representation in the agency's workforce.
This finding, Brennan believes, arises in part from the fact that many of the agency's top minority prospects are also sought after by private employers who offer much higher salaries.
To combat this problem, Brennan says he has made a point of promoting more minorities. Furthermore, starting in October the performance of senior leaders will be judged on how well they try to improve diversity within the agency.
The study was done by outside experts, led by Vernon Jordan, the prominent civil rights activist and confidant to former President Bill Clinton who also serves on the CIA's external board.
