Apple Inc. released its first workforce diversity report Tuesday,and it reveals that the majority of the tech company's workforce is white males.
U.S. companies have been the target of criticism for not hiring enough minorities and women. In May, an activist group pressured Google to release its workforce diversity report by rallying outside the company's headquarters. The report showed Google's workforce is 70 percent male and 30 percent female; 61 percent are white, 30 percent Asian, 3 percent Hispanic and 2 percent black.
Since then, other tech companies felt the need to follow Google's step. Apple came next, as CEO Tim Cook published the details of the company's workforce data of its 98,000 employees, as well as defined their concept of "diversity."
"Our definition of diversity goes far beyond the traditional categories of race, gender and ethnicity. It includes personal qualities that usually go unmeasured, like sexual orientation, veteran status and disabilities. Who we are, where we come from, and what we've experienced influence the way we perceive issues and solve problems. We believe in celebrating that diversity and investing in it," Cook wrote.
The report stated that only 30 percent of Apple's global workforce is women, but in the United States 55 percent of its workers are male. The overall ethnicity data showed that 15 percent is Asian, 7 percent is black and 11 percent are Hispanics.
Meanwhile, the lack of gender and racial diversity is more evident in the leadership positions at Apple. The report showed that 28 percent of its executives and managers are female-64 percent are white while 21 percent are Asian. The combined percentage of Hispanics and black executives accounts to just 6 percent.
Apple has been promoting gender equality in the workplace as well as gay rights. In the recent Pride Parade in San Francisco, Apple employees took time off and marched. Apple has also expressed its support for the Employment Nondiscrimination Act.
Cook admitted that the company needs more work to improve its diversity.
"I'm not satisfied with the numbers on this page. They're not new to us, and we've been working hard for quite some time to improve them. We are making progress, and we're committed to being as innovative in advancing diversity as we are in developing our products."
