Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) is already implementing initiatives internally to address its workforce diversity within the different levels of the company.
As part of its commitment to increase the diversity of its workforce, the microblogging company released its company-wide targets. Last year, Twitter voluntarily shared its ethnic and gender diversity data and admitted that it still needs to do a lot of work to address the issue.
Based on the data, Twitter’s workforce is composed of 70% male and 30% female. Fifty nine percent (59%) of all the positions within the company are held by white employees, 29% by Asians, 3% by Hispanic or Latino, 2% by African-American and 1% by American-Indian or Alaskan Native.
Twitter acknowledged the fact that “more diverse teams make better decisions and companies with women in leadership roles produce better financial results.” The company has several employee-led groups working to make it more diverse and inclusive including the WomEng (women in engineerings, SWAT (super women at Twitter, TwUx (Twitter women in design) and others.
Since last year, Twitter expanded its efforts, launched a number of programs and partnerships to achieve its goals, according to Janet Van Huysse, vice president of diversity and inclusion.
Twitter employee diversity goals for 2016
For the fiscal 2016, Twitter aims to increase the number of women in its overall workforce to 35%. The company wants women to hold 16% of technology positions, and 25 of leadership roles.
Twitter also wants to increase the number of under-represented minorities in its overall workforce to 11%. The company also wants them to hold 9% and 6% of tech and leadership positions, respectively.
Ms. Huysse emphasized that they want to make sure that Twitter is a great place to work for and to grow for new and current employees. She said, “We’re holding ourselves accountable to these measurable goals, as should you.”
“As we look ahead, we see opportunity rather than a challenge: an opportunity to build a platform and a company that will better serve the diverse community on Twitter and the increasingly diverse one at Twitter,” she added.
Twitter has 4,100 employees by the end of June, up from 3,300 in the same period a year ago.
