One in Four Blacks Say They're Discriminated Against at Work
Twenty-five percent of African-Americans reported feeling discriminated against in their current job, according to a new CareerBuilder survey of diverse workers that found continued inequalities in pay, career advancement and feelings of bias.
CareerBuilder questioned more than 1,300 workers from six diverse backgrounds, including African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, workers with disabilities and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender (LGBT) workers for the Diversity in the Workplace survey. The study focused on larger economies and workforces, targeting the top 20 markets in the U.S. by population. The information was gathered between February 21 and March 10, 2011.
Though Blacks felt they were discriminated against most when asked about their overall experience as a minority worker, just 11 percent of Asian workers said they were discriminated against. In the middle were disabled workers (22 percent), Hispanic workers (21 percent), women (19 percent) and LGBT workers (18 percent).
Looking at the types of jobs held, African-American women were nearly twice as likely to hold an administrative or clerical entry-level job than non-diverse workers. Women and Hispanic workers were twice as likely to hold those types of jobs.
"While companies have made strides in creating an inclusive workplace for all workers, there is still work to be done, especially in the areas of hiring, compensation, and career advancement," said Dr. Sanja Licina, senior director of Talent Intelligence and Consulting at CareerBuilder.
In the “compensation” category, workers with disabilities were the most likely to report earning less than $50,000 a year. On the other end of the spectrum, African-Americans were one of the least likely groups, at eight percent, to make more than $100,000. Additionally, women and African-Americans had the lowest representation in management roles.
Though compensation, career advancement opportunities and opinions about discrimination in the workplace differed for Asians and African-Americans, both groups planned to change jobs in a better economy—47 percent of Asians, followed by African-American workers at 43 percent.
