LAS VEGAS (AURN News) — The Consumer Electronics Show is underway in Las Vegas this week, featuring major announcements and technology unveilings. Artificial intelligence and robotics are among the biggest draws this year. But while the latest innovations are on full display, one thing stands out: the small number of Black attendees.
According to the NAACP’s State of Tech Diversity: The Black Tech Ecosystem report, only 7% of the computing workforce is made up of Black workers, despite Black Americans accounting for about 13% of the U.S. population.
The report also found that only 4.4% of board roles in the tech industry are held by Black professionals. It notes that Black workers are paid about 4% less than their peers and are “often hired in lower-level roles than their qualifications justify.”
The Trump administration continues its war on diversity initiatives, a shift that is also reflected in rapidly rising Black unemployment data. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the Black unemployment rate now stands at 8.3%. In May, the rate was 6.0%. It increased to 6.8% in June and climbed again to 7.2% in July.
At the same time, transparency in the tech sector is shrinking. Wired recently reported that companies including Google, Microsoft and Meta no longer release diversity data.
“Major employers including Meta and Google suspended minority hiring targets and dropped some references to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ from their websites,” the report said.
With Black representation already low across the tech workforce, advocates warn that reduced transparency will make it even harder to hold companies accountable and ensure Black Americans have access to opportunities in one of the fastest-growing industries in the country.
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