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Alison Bell is regional vice president of Western Governors University

In today’s technology-driven world, we are constantly utilizing the newest gadgets, benefitting from the latest software, and navigating the expanding presence of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives. Talented professionals drive these technological advancements, but as the IT industry flourishes, its workforce must become more diverse. 

According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, six tech sectors accounted for one-third of the United States’ economic growth from 2013 to 2022. According to the International Trade Administration, the U.S. also makes up one-third of the IT market worldwide. The recent growth of the tech industry has resulted in increased demand for talent in the IT workforce and more college students enrolling in IT programs. In fact, more than 108,000 college graduates earned degrees in computer and information sciences in 2022, according to Forbes.  

WGU’s College of IT enrollment growth is consistent with this trend. In December 2019, WGU’s College of IT enrolled more than 21,500 students. As of October 2024, more than 57,000 IT students are enrolled at WGU, and more than 31,000 self-identify as non-white. Also, nearly 40 percent of WGU’s 45,000 alumni from the College of IT report as non-white.  

True Innovation is only possible when different viewpoints come together. Diversity in IT brings more than just social good,it provides a strong foundation for new ideas, improves problem-solving and ensures that the solutions serve the needs of a global society. Across gender, race, and ethnicity, diverse teams eliminate groupthink, where ideas become stale, and perspective is narrow.  

For tech employers, a primary motivator for diverse hiring should be that lacking diversity is detrimental to the company’s bottom line.  According to a McKinsey report, companies with greater gender and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to outperform their competitors financially. Yet, disparities across the IT workforce include lopsided representation – some of which are massive – in gender and ethnic and racial minorities.  

While the products and systems developed across the IT industry serve people from all walks of life, all walks of life are inadequately represented in the IT workforce, which leaves tech companies vulnerable to the missteps that result from a single track of thought. 

Consider artificial intelligence (AI), without diversity of thought, AI systems are at risk of carrying unintentional bias and fueling harmful stereotypes that could exclude multiple groups of people. For example, having a diverse software development team would minimize blind spots and account for the diverse range of people who will interact with their product.  

Although the advantages of a diverse workforce are many, stereotypical gaps remain. There are fewer women than men in the tech industry, and women earn less than their male counterparts. According to the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), in 2020, women occupied just 24 percent of all tech jobs, with the largest gender gaps in professions such as software development, cybersecurity, and data science. Women also fill fewer than 20 percent of senior leadership roles.  

The same disparities exist among ethnic and racial minorities. According to a report by the Kapor Center, eight percent of the IT workforce is represented by Hispanic employees. Black IT workers represent just seven percent of the IT workforce. From 2014 to 2020, black representation in tech increased by only one percent. And to no surprise, both racial gaps are further perpetuated in leadership roles. The same is true for women in tech.  

A common reason for the lack of diversity in IT is the presumed “pipeline problem” that suggests the absence of minority representation is a product of a smaller pool of qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. The reality is that hidden bias often exists during the hiring process. Even once hired, quality applicants are discouraged by barriers like the lack of diverse representation in leadership roles. For minorities, it isn’t commonplace to see someone who looks like you leading a team, let alone a diverse team.  

Far too often, getting your foot in the door doesn’t equate to getting a step ahead.  

Minority representation in the IT workforce is pivotal in recruiting and retaining minority professionals. For the companies and organizations that diversify their staff and take steps towards leveling the playing field, it can’t stop at just an increase in hiring minorities. A significant factor in the lack of diversity across the IT sector is the absence of minority leadership. Diversity in IT isn’t a buzzword or a box to check – it’s also about doing what’s best for business. Companies must be more intentional about hiring diverse staff and providing the support and opportunities to allow their professional growth.  

Likewise, for minorities who are people leaders, providing mentorship creates a pathway for others to navigate the career ladder in IT.  

Fortunately, there are organizations attending to the need to nurture a more diverse IT workforce. Organizations such as Indianapolis’ TechPoint, which provides resources for IT professionals to grow Indiana’s IT workforce, and GetWITit, a non-profit that strives to address the declining number of women in the tech industry through programs that create opportunities, there is a growing fight to increase representation in IT employment.  

Such organizations foster an environment where all voices are heard and valued. It should be no different across our communities, universities, institutions and school districts. At a time when the tech industry is facing a talent shortage, it is obvious that we must recruit and retain talent from all communities to create the talent pipeline the tech sector desperately needs. Organizations should look to partner with Historically Black Colleges (HBCUs), host initiatives like coding boot camps or create similar diversity-focused efforts to expand the talent pool.  

Diversity is a key ingredient – in many cases, it’s the missing ingredient – to build stronger, more successful companies for the sake of equity and inclusion, for a thriving IT workforce, and to continue to innovate at the highest levels. 

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