Why is there still so few Black Executives?

WHY IS THERE STILL SO FEW BLACK EXECUTIVES ? LEAVING EARLY - CAREER POSITIONS Black workers leave entry - level jobs at a higher rate than White peers . This decreases the number of Black employees funnelling through the coporate ladder , where only a few makes it to the top . % of attrition at each level 18 14.6 Field jobs 9.3 ∞ Black 11.2 Entry - level Vice President Food Service Healthcare Support 25 % Construction 17.5 % Administrative 13 % White 7.6 Healthcare Technician 10.9 % Engineering 5 % Legal 6.5 % Management 6.2 % HOLDING ROLES WITH LESS ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUINITY % of Black US workers by Occupation 12.5 % 23 % of Black employees . feel some support in their company to advance Source : IconScout 56 % of Black employees think there is respect between employees of different backgrounds 87 % of companies report having a sponsorship program The leading reasons for Black attrition are not seeing opportuinity to advance , and to found a business of their own . PRAISE A COLLEAGUE 33 % of Black employees report having one or more sponsors Black employment is more concentrated in low - wage occupations and less concentrated in high - wage occupations . Coporate - wise , Blacks are more likely to fill Marketing or HR roles , which ( although important ) are rarely the path to running a company , than Profit and - Loss roles often seen as a prerequisite to the C - Suite . of jobs owned by Black workers will be displaced by automation by 2030 Mean annual pay $ 27K $ 28K $ 38K $ 41K $ 84K $ 89K $ 110K $ 122K 23 % because of this oversaturation of Blacks in private - sector , menial labor , which are at high risk of displacement . Source : McKinsey and Co. As simple as sending an appreciative sticker via Slack , showing empathy to your colleagues goes a long way in cultivating a sense of belonging at work . People with strong ties to their colleagues report higher career fulfillment and are twice less likely to switch jobs up to one year ahead , compared to those who felt less connected . Help Black talents stay . Source : IconScout IN FORTUNE 500 , THERE ARE SIX BLACK CEOS . Or just 1 % of the C - Suite in 500 companies . Decades since work discrimination was outlawed , efforts to represent Black people on all coporate levels have hit a ceiling . Blacks still lack adequate access to tools that can take them far , such as high - quality education , high - growth areas , or support to make them visible in promoting considerations . SPARSE POPULATION IN EMPLOYMENT HUBS % 60 50 . 40 30 ● SEATTLE , WA SAN FRANCISCO , CA 20 10 Almost 60 % of the Black labor force lives in the South , whereas far fewer Blacks live in the West , where the fastest - growing cities in tech are . A majority of Blacks do not see great opportuinities becoming available near them . BLACK YOUTH FALLING BEHIND , EARLY ON Black students lag behind on many meters . As early as 4th grade , only 1 in 5 Black students is proficient in Math and Reading , compared to every 1 in 2 White students proficient in either skill . ● PROVO , UT Math ● PRESCOTT , AR Reading 4th Grade Percentage of Students scoring at or above NAEP Proficient in 2019 at each Grade level , % Math ● AUSTIN , TX Reading 8th Grade INVEST , NURTURE , CREATE OPPORTUINITY Achievement gaps begin early . Black students need access to high - quality childhood education . The 10 Boys Initiative by Boston public schools , which provides individualized help for Black boys , reported an increase in participants ' standardized score and attendance , as well as a decrease in number of suspensions . Math NEW YORK , NY OCEAN CITY , MD Reading 12th Grade Asian White Hispanic Black 61 % of Advanced Placement tests taken by Whites earned a 3 or above % of Black population more than 30 % 20 % to 30 % 10 % to 20 % 5 % to 10 % less than 5 % 62 % of Black test - takers met none of the ACT college readiness benchmarks CITIES PROJECTED TO SEE HIGH JOB GROWTH Source : IconScout 25 % of Advanced Placement tests taken by Blacks earned a 3 or above Covid - 19 caused severe learning loss on all students , but Black and Hispanic students are estimated to be at least 3 months behind White students . They are also twice as likely to not have access to a live teacher via phone , video , or in person . Source : McKinsey and Co. 32 % of all test - takers met none of the ACT college readiness benchmarks TREAT DE & I PROGRAMS LIKE PRODUCT RESEARCH Companies often pour funding into extensive research and testing to make effective products , but the same effort is lost on building effective DE & I . Companies may hire more Blacks now , but most fell short in building support networks for Black employees and setting them up for promotion . DE & I must be subjected to analysis and regular outcome assessments to sustain long - term inclusitivity .