Diversity and Demographics in the Workforce: A Comprehensive Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of diversity and demographics within the US workforce. It begins with an overview of the current demographic landscape and future projections, highlighting the increasing cultural diversity of the workforce. The report then delves into historical issues of racial discrimination, discussing the impact of language barriers, stereotypes, and bias. Strategies for addressing these challenges are proposed, including redefining diversity, leveraging technology to reduce bias, and standardizing interview processes. Furthermore, the report examines gender-related issues in the workplace, referencing the CEO of Berkley Innovative Technologies, and suggests solutions such as unbiased job requirements and fair hiring practices. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective diversity management in enhancing organizational productivity and profitability. References and statistical data from various sources are included to support the analysis.

Running head: DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

1DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Executive Summary
Workplace diversity has emerged as a major issue in the age of globalization, where
organizations have a tendency of hiring employees from culturally diverse backgrounds. In
this aspect, the report presents an analysis of the current and future predictions of diversity
demographics of the workforce in the United States of America. Moreover, the report also
presents the problems arising out of workplace diversity in the Berkley Innovation
Technologies. The gender related issues faced by the organization have been addressed with
appropriate solutions as to how they can be solved. In conclusion, it has been mentioned how
diversity in the workplace and its efficient management can improve the productivity and
profitability of an organization.

2DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Table of Contents
Part 1: Introduction to Diversity and Demographics in the Workforce.....................................3
Part 2: Historical Issues of Different Races in Workplace and How to Handle Them..............3
 Adopting diverse definition of diversity.........................................................................4
 Using technology to avoid unconscious bias..................................................................5
 Sourcing candidates with nontraditional credentials.......................................................5
 Testing diversity initiatives with data.............................................................................5
 Standardizing interview process for bias reduction........................................................5
Part 3: Overcoming Gender Issues in the Workforce................................................................5
Gender issues in workplace....................................................................................................6
 Writing job requirements.............................................................................................6
 Hiring employees.........................................................................................................6
 Interactions in the workplace.......................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
References..................................................................................................................................8

3DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Part 1: Introduction to Diversity and Demographics in the Workforce
There are various forms of discrimination that can be observed in an organizational
structure. These discriminations are based on gender, religion, race, national origin, physical
disability, skin color and age. Gender based discriminations include disparities in payment
among men and women. Religious and racial discriminations include negative impacts based
on an individual’s religious beliefs or racial adherences. Differences in nationality and
cultural backgrounds of employees also cause workplace discriminations. The current
demographic statistics of the United States of America shows that over 14% of the population
is foreign born, with an overwhelming increase of immigrants. Moreover, the forecasted
trends assume that by 2055 the American population will consist of 48% white skinned
individuals, 14% Asian, 24% Hispanic and 13% black skinned individuals
(Worldpopulationreview.com, 2019). Two of the largest minority groups in the country
include the Hispanic and Muslim community each with a workforce of 16.8% and 0.8%
respectively (Bls.gov, 2019). There is a need for sensitivity towards their differing values and
customs because organizations in the country are culturally diverse, and for them to operate
efficiently, it is important that there is effective communication among the employees
without any sense of bias or discrimination. The Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission in the USA enforces supervisor regulations for Hispanic and Muslim workforce
in organizations of the country.
Part 2: Historical Issues of Different Races in Workplace and How to
Handle Them
Diversity plays an important role in ensuring the strength and inclusivity of an
economy. The recent demographics of the United States of America shows that the labor
force in the country constitutes of 78% white individuals, 13% Black individuals and 6%

4DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Asian individuals. Alaska natives and American Indians constitute 1% of the US workforce
(Bls.gov, 2019). The labor force projections of 2020 predict that there will be an increase of
0.4% in the white people workforce annually. Moreover, there will be an annual increase of
1% in the black people workforce. Annual increase of Asian and Hispanic workforce in the
US is predicted to be 2.7% and 3% respectively (Bls.gov, 2019).
In the age of globalization, the workforce of various organizations in the United States
of America and the rest of the world, shows cultural diversity composing of employees
belonging from different ethnicities, religions and races. However, this diversity often causes
tensions in the workplace. Language barriers often results in miscommunication and
confusion among employees, managers and other stakeholders (Tenzer, Pudelko & Harzing,
2014). Moreover, stereotypes and bias arising out of racial and religious obligations of
employees in an organization leads to negativity and resistance from other employees. Such
problems cause tension in the workplace thereby hampering the productivity and profitability
of the organizations.
However, these tensions and problems can be reduced and eliminated by leaders and
supervisors to ensure harmony among the stakeholders and thereby improve the productivity
of the organization. These strategies to manage workplace diversity include:
 Adopting diverse definition of diversity – The leaders and mangers should not
consider the concept of cultural diversity as a taboo in the workplace. Instead their
focus should be on the opportunities that can be provided by a culturally and racially
diverse workforce (Hunt, Layton & Prince, 2015). These opportunities include an
understanding of specific requirements of the culturally diverse customers over the
globe and increasing sales in local communities. It is also the duty of the leaders to
normalize this definition of diversity among the other employees of the organization.

5DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
 Using technology to avoid unconscious bias – Discriminations in the hiring
procedures often arise due to bias based on the resume of the applicants or probable
candidates. Instead of manual data recording, the organizations can make use of
technology such as artificial intelligence for the screening of candidates’ resume
during the hiring process (Houser, 2019). This will ensure that the candidates are
hired based on their skills and merit rather than racial belongingness. Moreover, the
artificial intelligence can also be programmed to check bias, which can be corrected
through human intervention.
 Sourcing candidates with nontraditional credentials – Talent shortage in the
country can be countered by hiring candidates who do not possess traditional degrees,
but desired skills in their chosen field of profession. This can ensure a reduction in
unemployment and increase in the productivity of organizations.
 Testing diversity initiatives with data – The managers and leaders of
organizations must also engage in testing candidates on the basis of commonalities
rather than differences like race and religion. This initiative of collecting data about
the probable candidates can in turn reduce prejudices regarding workplace diversity.
 Standardizing interview process for bias reduction – Leaders and managers of
organizations must conduct interview and hiring procedures for candidates by asking
a particular unprejudiced set of questions regarding the merit and skills of the
individuals. Personal connections among the interviewees can also be created by
asking about their interests and hobbies. These methods can prevent bias about
workplace diversity.
Part 3: Overcoming Gender Issues in the Workforce
Demographic statistics show that in 2018, 51.5% of professional, management and
related occupations were undertaken by women. However, the reports also show that men

6DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
hold almost 76% of corporate boards, while women hold 24% (Catalyst.org, 2019). The
current gender mix in the workforce of the United States of America shows the following
details:
Labor force participation
rates
Men (%) Women (%)
2000 74.8 59.9
2005 73.3 59.3
2010 72.6 59.7
2020 70.0 59.4
2030 67.4 56.5
2040 66.5 55.5
2050 66.0 55.1
Table 1: Trends of gender mix in the US workforce.
(Source: Bls.gov, 2019)
Gender issues in workplace
Workplace diversity issues relating to gender is a growing issue in various
organizations over the world (Ozturk & Tatli, 2016). The CEO of Berkley Innovative
Technologies also recognized certain issues relating to gender of the employees. These issues
were identified in the certain aspects that can be solved in the following ways:
 Writing job requirements – Problems were recognized in the organization regarding
the acceptance of female employees in certain posts that were considered to be areas
of male specialization. However, the job requirements of the company must
incorporate specific set of unprejudiced competencies that are not gender specific.
These may include educational qualifications or previous work experiences.
 Hiring employees - The Griggs v. Duke Power case provided a landmark of
employment discrimination case that was decided by the Supreme Court of USA in
1971 (Belton, 2014). This case provided for the basic civil right that recruitment of

7DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
employees must be done based on skill and intelligence test and must not encompass
any gender-based discrimination. Hence, the company must introduce unbiased hiring
tests for recruitment procedures.
 Interactions in the workplace – The supervisors must incorporate interactive
sessions with the employees in order to reduce discrimination in the workplace.
Forming groups consisting of male and female employees for various projects will
help in making the female employees a part of the work team through adequate
supervision. Moreover, developing a prompt and efficient Human Resource
Management system can also cater to the needs of the employees in case of any
grievances (Adamson et al., 2016).
Conclusion
From the above analysis, it can be interpreted that the modern age of globalization
encompasses various challenges in organizations pertaining to workforce discriminations
based on gender, race, age, religion, ethnicity, culture and the like. This problem is often
faced by organizations based in the United States of America and elsewhere. Similarly, the
Berkley Innovative Technologies also faces workplace discriminations based on ethnicity and
gender. However, with proper action taken by the leaders, managers and supervisors such
challenges can be overcome efficiently, thereby improving the productivity and profitability
of the organization.

8DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
References
Adamson, M., Kelan, E. K., Lewis, P., Rumens, N., & Slíwa, M. (2016). The quality of
equality: thinking differently about gender inclusion in organizations. Human
Resource Management International Digest.
Belton, R. (2014). The crusade for equality in the workplace: The Griggs v. Duke power
story. University Press of Kansas.
Bls.gov. (2019). 26.8 million Hispanics or Latinos in the U.S. labor force in 2016 : The
Economics Daily: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 14 August 2019, from
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/26-point-8-million-hispanics-or-latinos-in-the-u-
s-labor-force-in-2016.htm?view_full
Bls.gov. (2019). Changes in men’s and women’s labor force participation rates : The
Economics Daily : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 14 August 2019, from
https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2007/jan/wk2/art03.htm
Bls.gov. (2019). Retrieved 14 August 2019, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/race-and-
ethnicity/2017/pdf/home.pdf
Bls.gov. (2019). Retrieved 14 August 2019, from
https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2012/01/art3full.pdf
Catalyst.org. (2019). Females in the US Workforce. Retrieved 14 August 2019, from
https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-united-states/
Houser, K. (2019). Can AI solve the diversity problem in the tech industry? Mitigating noise
and bias in employment decision-making. Mitigating noise and bias in employment
decision-making (February 28, 2019), 22.

9DIVERSITY AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE WORKFORCE
Hunt, V., Layton, D., & Prince, S. (2015). Diversity matters. McKinsey & Company, 1, 15-
29.
Ozturk, M. B., & Tatli, A. (2016). Gender identity inclusion in the workplace: broadening
diversity management research and practice through the case of transgender
employees in the UK. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
27(8), 781-802.
Tenzer, H., Pudelko, M., & Harzing, A. W. (2014). The impact of language barriers on trust
formation in multinational teams. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(5),
508-535.
Worldpopulationreview.com. (2019). Retrieved 14 August 2019, from
http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/united-states-population/