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Comment by jcims | Hacker News Reader

>Black people make up 13% of the US population, we are naturally in the minority. But in the tech workforce, we are missing. Among the top eight largest tech companies in the land, black people account for only 3.1% of the workforce

Just raw extrapolation, this would indicate that (13-3.1)/13 or 76% of black folks in technology are either unemployed or not working in tech. Is that the case?

If it is, then laying this problem at the feet of employers and the systems involved with hiring and retention seems fair.

If not, then there might be more work to be done to develop interest in the industry in the young and displaced folks that are looking for a career path IN ADDITION to continuing to ensure that the hiring and retention results in industry are reasonable given the pool of folks that are interested in the work.

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Not sure where the author got his numbers from but if you read the full article, the author notes that the numbers/percentages themselves can be misleading, because that 3.1% could include the security guard who swipes your badge or some other peripheral role at a technology company.

It is also true that Blacks do in fact quit the industry at high rates due to bias treatment; based on the number of computer science and technology degrees granted to blacks, their representation should be higher if there was higher retention.

It is also the case that blacks in technology often end in up in specific sectors of the industry, for instance you'll find much higher black representation in the public sector, specifically in the federal government...unfortunately that is not likely to be the source of the next great tech innovator.

> specifically in the federal government...unfortunately that is not likely to be the source of the next great tech innovator

The federal government helps build and fund innovative research projects and private businesses. Notable examples include the Manhattan project, GPS, SpaceX, and the Internet. I’d bet the US government will continue to be a source, and assist other sources, of innovation.

Edit: The following happens to be on the front page at the time of this edit - “Why does DARPA work?” https://benjaminreinhardt.com/wddw

My comment wasn't meant to disparage federally driven innovation in general. I am referring more specifically to the software and information technology industry.

Just personal observation but financial and healthcare orgs seem to also have a pretty strong presence of black folks in development/ops/security roles relative to other industries I've worked in.

> for instance you'll find much higher black representation in the public sector, specifically in the federal government

Do you know why that is? Maybe government work is more inclusive, like the military

Accessible job stability and good benefits. The overall pay is lower than the private sector, but if you're looking for stable income first and foremost, working for the government is an excellent option. This stability will be particularly appealing for people who grew up in poverty.

Source: My father worked for the government, and my grandfather was a working-class immigrant who started with nothing, so money was tight.

Can confirm, I'm black, and growing up I would often hear my parents and aunts often say that the government jobs were the best because it was stable

Good point- I have seen that thrown around as a reason to enlist in the military (family benefits) or defense contractors (job security for 20 years!)

I'd guess it's due to more process, procedure, and regulatory structure.

It's very common for private companies to have little to no formal criteria for evaluating candidates. Intuition is more subject to bias than a formal process.

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