The Case for Change - Say Yes to Dallas The Case for Change - Say Yes to Dallas

The Case for Change

The Case for Change

Dallas Region statistics shed light on the state of diversity in the tech workforce.

9%

Hispanic Employees in Tech

27%

Women in Tech

12%

Black Employees in Tech

30%

Asian Employees in Tech

Source: CBRE 2021 Scoring Tech Talent Report – U.S. Census (Metro), IPUMS, and CBRE Research, May 2021

Diversity at Work in Dallas

Accenture conducted a study with Dallas Region employers that sheds light on opportunities to incorporate in hiring strategies.

Accenture’s Dallas Region study found employees from underrepresented groups reported their skills most utilized in customer support roles rather than technical or strategic roles. As you increase hiring at your firm, consider equitable representation.

White employees in the Dallas Region are more likely to work in roles that deliver strategy and digital solutions

Male employees in the Dallas Region are more likely to work in roles that deliver strategy and digital solutions

Source: Accenture Research 

While Black and Hispanic employees  represent 24% of our sample, they are  overwhelmingly more likely to use their customer service skills than technical

83%

Dallas Region employers say hiring tech talent is a top priority

72%

Dallas Region employers say they have difficulty finding the right tech talent

67%

Dallas Region executives say they are losing talent to startup or digital native companies

The high demand for tech talent and perceived scarcity suggest need for remote options and critical evaluation of skill requirements to compete. Use the Tools & Resources section to jump start your search for top talent.

Source: Accenture Research 

Myths Debunked

We challenge the status quo by presenting facts that set the record straight.

Contrary to some perceptions, the tech talent pool is becoming more diverse, not less. Data show that there are more black and Hispanic individuals majoring in computer science and engineering than are currently represented in tech jobs (NYT). The opportunity lies in rethinking what hiring looks like for an organization. Historically, employers are looking in the same pools for their talent, instead of meeting the talent where they are (Black Tech Symposium, Forbes). Interviews with partners indicate when employers do begin to look outside their traditional channels, they often look for a transactional relationship with a pipeline partner or HBCU, when in reality the best results come from a true partnership: with both the employer and talent provider sharing resources and a continuous conversation about what is working and what isn’t. The business case is overwhelming, as companies in the top-quartile for workforce diversity are 33% more likely to financially outperform their less diverse counterparts. (HBR) Diverse tech talent exists and is more than ready to perform; employers must be willing to look beyond their traditional talent pools to secure diverse employees. Use the Tools & Resources section to jump start your search for top talent.

Sources:
• Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2018/12/18/5-reasons-why-the-pipeline-problem-is-just-a-myth/?sh=6410e383227a
• HBR: https://hbr.org/2019/12/why-isnt-your-organization-isnt-hiring-diverse-talent
• NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/upshot/dont-blame-recruiting-pipeline-for-lack-of-diversity-in-tech.html

A truly inclusive job description focuses on skills and leading organizations critically assess and refresh assumptions of what makes talent successful in their organization. While that may include a bachelor’s degree, many jobs may not. Dallas college administrators and business leaders agree: Old job requirements prevent companies from accessing all the best talent. Automatic bachelor’s degrees or GPA minimums as requirements for all tech jobs exempt highly qualified talent. Studies by the Kingsley Leadership Institute show that only 12% of those surveyed at the C-suite level think grades are an important consideration when hiring new employees. (HR Dive) In our interviews, Dallas workforce development partners and educational institutions encouraged employers to raise their standards and rethink their job descriptions to focus on skills and a holistic view of the candidate, not a list of criteria. Many Dallas DEI Leaders are taking an internal look to examine unconscious biases in their hiring practices. (DEI Leaders Connect) This simple shift in thinking enables hiring to not only increases efficacy, but also inclusion. By focusing on skills-based job descriptions, organizations can ensure they find the right person for the job, rather than the right list of qualifications that may not correlate to success.

Sources:
• HR Dive: https://www.hrdive.com/news/should-employers-care-about-gpa-anymore/528430/

Talent acquisition is one of many critical steps to creating thriving, diverse organizations. Leading employers recognize the need for change within the organizational systems: culture, processes, incentives, and more. Without doing so, a DEI Leader at the latest DEI Leaders Connect likened it to “planting beautiful flowers in toxic soil;” this results in retention challenges and restarts costly acquisition and development cycles. Visit the Case Studies section to discover what works and key learnings from Dallas employers.

With increased competition and higher expectations from millennial and Gen Z customers and employees, organizations can’t afford to fail to hire and develop diverse talent. Dallas has solidified itself as a major tech employment hub with one of the largest tech labor pools in the country (ranking 8th in tech-degree completions). However, with more organizations accepting remote work as the norm, competition for local talent has only increased. This compounded with an increasingly diverse customer base in the United States creates a financial imperative to recruit and retain diverse talent to compete. An Accenture study showed that compared to Dallas employees, Dallas executives are four times more likely to agree that their company’s workforce reflects the diversity of their customers and twice as likely to agree that their company has the ethnic and racial diversity necessary to design customer experiences to their ethnically and racially diverse customers. The gap widens dramatically when compared to the results from Gen Z and younger millennials, the most ethnically and racially diverse generation. This disconnect between executives and employees poses a financial risk to companies who do not reflect the customers they aim to serve.

Sources:
• Accenture Study & Pew Research

Representation across levels and departments can greatly increase equity in the organization. Accenture’s study on Dallas employers revealed that people from underrepresented groups are more likely to hold customer service and transactional roles than technical and strategic roles. Focusing on skills over education can help organizations expand their pool of qualified talent. For more insights from Dallas employer visit the Case Studies section.

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