How to Approach Equal Hiring in the Tech Industry

Diversity, inclusion, and opportunity are words we often use to describe the ideal job market, and rightfully so. That’s the reason why more and more companies are taking a better look at their hiring practices to understand their relationship with these terms. However, there’s still a lot to do to reach that ideal scenario, particularly in tech and IT. 

I wrote this article to talk about equal hiring and why I believe it is the key to creating a better future for everyone in these industries. In principle, we must ensure everyone has access to the same opportunities before and after they are hired—but the first step is to know where we are standing. 

Recognizing the Gender Gap in Tech

Although many things have changed for the better in recent years, the tech industry’s gender gap is still way too big of an issue. A 2021 study by Statista showed that the five largest tech companies on the planet (Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft) only have a 34.4% female workforce. And, when it comes to tech jobs, that number goes all the way down to 24%. 

These numbers fall in line with the rest of the industry. The Pew Research Center states that women software engineer hires have only increased 2% over the last 21 years, accounting for 14% of the total workforce in the software engineering industry today. And, in all computer science-related jobs, women only make up 25% of the total workforce. 

The gender wage gap is also something we must pay very close attention to. On the positive side, the increasing demand for high-skilled workers has played a huge role in narrowing the gender wage gap in complex industries like tech and IT. However, the gap still persists—the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) found that new female graduates in computer science average $79,223 in pay while their male counterparts average $82,159. In some cases, the pay differential can go over $10,000. 

Racial Diversity in Tech

The gender gap is just one of the major problems for tech diversity—there are also huge differences in racial hires. We can start once again by looking at the numbers from some of the biggest tech companies in the world. As shown by this study from Business Insider, the percentage of Black and Hispanic tech employees at Uber, Facebook, Apple, Google, Twitter, and Microsoft is especially low, making up just one to three percent of the tech workforce.

According to the same study, the ratio of Black and Hispanics to coworkers is about half in the tech sector of what it is in the rest of the private sector. This comes along with an increased likelihood to experience racial discrimination for both of these groups. Earlier this year, Dice reported that Black tech employees are the most likely to experience racial discrimination (48%), followed closely by Hispanic tech employees (30%). 

A Talent-Based Approach to Equal Hiring

Surpassing these gaps remains a challenge for all tech and IT companies, and it is the duty of everyone in recruiting and staffing teams to recognize this challenge. However, change starts with a cultural approach, and that’s why understanding the concept of equal hiring is so important. 

At FullStack Labs, equal hiring has been one of the main priorities since our origins in California and remains so now that our team spans all over the US, Canada, and Latin America. The essence of our approach is very simple: focus on hiring the most talented people, no matter who they are or where they come from. 

Hiring people from all over these regions while focusing solely on their talent and capabilities has allowed us to build a diverse and unique environment with a lot of cultural upbringings that define our company. Thanks to equal hiring, we have access to many different points of view that continuously improve our team’s decision-making and the quality of our work. We are very proud of where this approach has taken us and everything it has allowed us to offer to our clients.

In fact, we believe that this talent-based approach has been key to FullStack Labs’ success and steady growth over recent years, and that it constitutes the foundation of any equal hiring strategy. This is necessary to give such talents better opportunities to grow, enhance their skills, and improve their lives.

Finally, it is also worth noting that the impact of equal hiring goes beyond the quality of our work and extends to the satisfaction of our clients and employees. On one hand, our Net Promoter Score sits at 64, way above the average in the software development industry (36) and of high-profile companies such as Microsoft (45) or Apple (46). On the other hand, our Glassdoor profile has reached an all-time high of 4.6 stars, with outstanding reviews that highlight the incredibly diverse and friendly environment that people have found within FullStack Labs. 

Wrapping Up

Before wrapping up, I want to give a shoutout to Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization fighting these issues on the front lines. Any boot camp, specialized course, or internship that focuses on inclusion and diversity is essential to empowering underrepresented groups in tech. Girls Who Code on its own has given thousands of women a whole new perspective on pursuing a tech career, and it is playing a key role in ending gender and racial gaps in tech.

All in all, I believe that it is safe to say that equal hiring starts with a change in culture—one that embraces diversity and recognizes its importance. Focusing on talent will allow us to break the stereotype of what people in tech look like and, eventually, become the diverse and inclusive industry we aspire to be. If you feel like these values match yours, please don't hesitate to contact us and join our successful path in the Software Development industry.