The number of Black students enrolling in technology-oriented higher education programs has been decreasing, leaving challenges when it comes to bringing them into STEM-related fields. Figures from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) also indicate a decline in the number of Black graduates in engineering and mathematics, and that has advocates concerned.
“One way to analyze the racial and ethnic representation in the STEM workforce is by comparing the distributions to those in the total U.S. workforce,” the NCSES noted in a May 2024 report. “Using this comparison, in 2021, STEM workers were disproportionately Asian and White … In 2021, Black or African American workers comprised 8% of workers in STEM occupations, which was lower than their percentage of the total workforce (11%). The percentage of STEM workers that were Hispanic was 15%, compared with 18% of all workers.”
Black communities, with limited exposure to STEM careers and restricted access to essential K–12 computer science courses, remain underrepresented in STEM fields. This situation could affect employment opportunities for Black workers in an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven future.
Even those aiming to secure jobs in tech have faced challenges. Pariss Chandler, founder and CEO of Black Tech Pipeline, said her organization started because a community of Black tech workers had formed on Twitter back in 2018. Black Tech Twitter brought awareness to the fact that there were Black people who wanted to launch their tech careers, but companies weren’t hiring them. There appeared to be a pipeline problem: Tech companies said they couldn’t find Black workers. Black Tech Pipeline essentially became a solution to that problem.
“There’s a sign-up process for job seekers or opportunity seekers,” Chandler said, “and then there’s a sign-up process for actual companies. [For] opportunity seekers –– that would include Black technologists, Black people looking for work, or others seeking opportunities –– it’s free for them to sign up on our platform and subscribe to our newsletter. And then companies will partner with us so that they can hire those Black technologists.”
The last several years of layoffs in the tech industry, combined with recent reduced support for DEI programs, have led to fewer companies looking to post on the Black Tech Pipeline job board. At the same time, there has been an increase in tech workers signing up and looking for jobs.
“I want to say there was a lot of overhiring during COVID,” Chandler said, “and now AI is in place, and [companies are] replacing workers with AI and not needing to hire as many people as before. Then you have the anti-DEI mandates where companies are scared to lose funding [or] stakeholders, or not get backing from partners because they work with companies like Black Tech Pipeline or have certain initiatives, so I think all of those three factors together are the issue.
“It’s really hard to say if anything can be done about that because it’s a human problem. It’s up to a person to decide, ‘I am going to commit to these initiatives regardless of what happens. I am willing to lose funding. I am willing to lose stakeholders who are against practicing DEI.’ It’s hard. It’s not a problem that a solution can easily fix. It mostly depends on the person in charge to say, ‘I will still support these businesses and initiatives no matter what.’”
Still, most tech companies recognize that hiring employees from diverse backgrounds benefits their organization.
“A lot of companies — actually, most companies who have worked with me, and I’ve worked with over 200 companies — are already very aware of the importance of hiring diverse people, regardless of their appearance,” Chandler said. “When I partner with companies, they’re not just working with Black Tech Pipeline; they might also partner with organizations serving the LGBTQ+ community, the Latinx community, or other groups.”
He noted that hiring a diverse workforce is the right thing to do for businesses to not only reflect a diverse world, but also, from a market standpoint, consumers who purchase their products.
“This can also improve retention because your products or services serve a wider range of people, not just one or two demographics,” said Chandler. “If you want to make more money, you should hire people to help develop inclusive products — since a wider market reach ultimately leads to higher profits. Different people view this from various angles; sometimes it’s just about business, and other times, it’s about understanding how the world works and what should be done.”