Diversity in the workforce
DID YOU KNOW…
- The most dramatic workforce change since the 1960s is the growing number of women in the workforce. Women have historically worked in certain occupations (health, personal service, professional, and administrative support). They have earned less than males and have been under represented in management. [Source: Anthony Patrick Carnevale and Susan Carol Stone, The American Mosaic (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995), 37.]
- By 2050, close to one-half of the U.S. population will be made up of Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and other nonwhite groups. [Source: Maureen Minehan, "The Fastest-Growing U.S. Ethnic Groups," HR Magazine, May 1997, 160]
- Of the 43 million Americans who have disabilities, 20 million are of working age (16-64). 14 million from this group were unemployed in 1992. With improved technology, many disabled people are now joining the workforce. [Source: The President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, 1992]
- By the year 2050, 15 percent of the workforce will be 55 years of age or older. [Source: Carnevale and Stone, 47]
- 14 percent of the total U.S. population speaks a language other than English at home. [Source: "Census: Languages not Foreign at Home," USA Today, 28 April 1993]
- The two most racially and ethnically diverse states in the U.S. are New Mexico and California. [Source: USA Today Diversity Index developed from 1990 Census statistics by Philip Meyer, 11 April 1991]
- The two least ethnically and racially diverse states are Maine and Vermont. [Source: USA Today Diversity Index developed from 1990 Census statistics by Philip Meyer, 11 April 1991]
- 75 percent of U.S. working-age women are in the labor market. [Source: "Human Capital: The Decline of America's Workforce," Business Week, 19 September, 1988, 100-141]
- The most profound challenge for managers and administrators in all organizations striving for diversity will center on communication. Consider learning about your own culture and that of others, acknowledging unconscious stereotypes, and becoming more sensitive to cultural barriers that intimidate minorities. [Source: Taylor Cox, as quoted in Ross L. Fink, "English-only Work Rules: Balancing Fair Employment Considerations in a Multicultural and Multilingual Healthcare Workforce," Hospital & Health Services Administration, Winter 1996, 473]
Source: The content of this fact sheet has been obtained from www.westwords.com
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