Gender gap tops Uber’s diversity report

According to Uber Technologies’ first diversity report, women and non-white employees are underrepresented at the ride-services company- just as they are at many technology firms, says a report by reuters.

Uber released the information after a series of revelations about its culture and business tactics that have incited calls for consumers to boycott the company and changes in senior management. A former employee last month recounted a workplace of sexual harassment and cut-throat competition.

Uber’s workforce overall is comprised of 36 per cent women but that number falls to 15 per cent when looking at employees with technical roles, the company said.

By comparison, Alphabet’s Google’s staff is 31 per cent women, Twitter ‘s is 37 per cent women and messaging startup Slack’s workforce is 43 per cent women, according to the companies’ websites.

Half of Uber’s total workforce is white while Asians are the second-largest ethnic group at 31 per cent, blacks make up nearly nine per cent and Hispanics account for less than six per cent, according to the report.

However, when looking at just those employees with technical jobs, only one per cent of Uber’s staff is black and two per cent is Hispanic.

“We need to do better and have much more work to do,” Liane Hornsey, Uber’s human resources chief, said in a blog post accompanying the diversity report, which was posted on Uber’s website.

Uber also announced in the report it was committing $3 million over the next three years to support organisations working to bring more women and underrepresented groups into tech. It did not say which organisations would benefit.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-diversity-idUSKBN16Z2KS