Maxine, Tech Cannot Hire People Who Do Not Exist

Rep. Maxine Waters(D-CA) and the Congressional Black Caucus are demanding that the Tech Industry hire more Black Engineers and Computer Scientists. They claim that until the number of Blacks equals the percentage of the General United States Population of Blacks, the Companies are not doing their job of Inclusivity and Diversity.

 

 The College Degrees that are required for these Positions are some of the most Academically demanding Curricula of any College Degrees.

 

The Percentage of College Students pursuing Degrees in Electrical Engineering is a small percentage of the Total number of College Students enrolled at any given time. 

 

Figures 1 and 2 are the data from the United States Census Bureau’s 2011 American Community Survey. It is comprised of the Civilians employed aged 25-64.

 

The Breakdown in Percentage of the Workforce by Race, of the Total US Workforce, the Engineering Workforce and the Computer Workforce, is shown in Figure 1.

 

 



 

The Total US Workforce is Two Thirds White, which is reflected in the Percentage of Whites in Computer Occupations and Engineering Occupations. The Percentage of Blacks and Hispanics in the Total US Workforce versus the Percentage of Blacks and Hispanics in Computer and Engineering are similar, about 50-70% of the Total Workforce numbers for each group.

The Breakdown in Percentage of the Workforce by Sex, of the Total US Workforce, the Engineering Workforce and the Computer Workforce, is shown in Figure 2.

The number of Graduates receiving Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees and Doctoral Degrees in Engineering in 2015 are listed in Figure 3, broken down by Race and Sex. The numbers, based on Race, do not reflect the breakdown of the General Population. There were only 172 Doctoral Degrees in Engineering Awarded to Black People in 2015. These numbers do not include Foreign Students.

 

 

For Maxine Waters and the Congressional Black Caucus to demand that these Companies hire more Blacks would require the Companies to engage in Racially Discriminatory Hiring Practices. Their Threats of Regulatory Retaliation over these Racist Demands is Extremely Unprofessional and should NOT be Tolerated in our Elected Officials.