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Workplace Diversity for African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans

From the Blog

The anti-immigration folks are getting what they wished for. According to research conducted by Vivek Wadhwa at Duke and University of California Berkeley funded by the Kauffman Foundation, skilled immigrants are moving back to their home countries in droves. Because there are no statistics covering this issue, the research team conducted a detailed survey of over 1200 Indian and Chinese immigrants who had worked or received education in the U.S. and returned to their home countries, and the results are illuminating.

It’s no surprise that the surveyed immigrants’ initial motivations for coming to the U.S. was for professional and educational opportunities. It’s also not a surprise that many immigrants miss their families and friends, and run into significant language and cultural barriers. And in spite of this America has been the unquestioned land of opportunity by the rest of the world for decades.

What is surprising is how rapidly the opportunity gap between America and the rest of the world is narrowing. According to the survey, 87% of the Chinese and 62% of Indians felt they had better longer-term professional growth opportunities in their home countries than in the U.S. And this wasn’t just because the respondents had overstayed their work visas - 30% of the them were either permanent residents or citizens of the U.S.

Even though immigrants make up 12% of the U.S. population, they make up 24% of the science and engineering bachelor’s degrees, and 47% of the science and engineering workers who have PhDs. They have also co-founded some of our most successful technology firms, such as Google, Intel, eBay, and Yahoo.

This brain drain is significant, especially in light of the worsening economic conditions in the U.S. The long-term solution is a well-educated workforce that can be innovative enough to develop new technologies and rebuild the manufacturing sector.

Too bad so many Americans view immigrants as part of the problem rather than part of the solution.

More Blog stories

In an ideal world, every person is treated equally when it comes to getting a job, advancing in their career, and being treated fairly in the workplace.  In reality, we know this is not the case.  Racial discrimination does still exist in hiring, firing, and promotions.

For African, Hispanic (Latino), and Asian Americans to overcome these challenges, they must be able to recognize the problems, understand the remedies, and be willing to take action. 

In this section, we cover the most significant factors that affect cultural diversity in the workplace.  The most obvious factor is workplace discrimination, which can come in many forms, ranging from subtle preferential treatment to an overtly hostile workplace environment.

A company can have a very diverse workforce in numbers, but still have an impenetrable Glass Ceiling.  This will lead to an unhealthy corporate culture where employees know the company's policy for determining promotions is not merit-based, and result in some of the best people leaving.

To their credit, many companies do have corporate diversity programs, which are intended to increase cultural diversity in the workplace.  While most of these programs represent a sincere effort to improve corporate culture, many of them are nothing more than a public relations ploy to deflect past controversies or bolster a company's image as a "good corporate citizen".

One effective, but controversial tool to increase workplace diversity is affirmative action.  While these programs typically achieve their intended goals, there is a common misconception that they create a quota system that results in the hiring of unqualified minorities over qualified non-minorities.

Topics

Workplace discrimination

- What is employment discrimination?

- Examples of discriminatory practices

- How to file a claim with the EEOC

- Links to minority-owned employment law firms

- Find an attorney to help on a discrimination case

Corporate diversity

- How to improve diversity in corporate America

- Which industries are the most or the least diverse?

- Statistics from the EEOC

- Links to corporate diversity websites

- Fortune 500 list of the best companies for minorities to work for

Affirmative Action

- What is affirmative action?

- Affirmative action vs. quotas

- Links to organizations concerned about affirmative action

- Government regulations for Federal contractors and subcontractors

Glass Ceiling

- What is the Glass Ceiling?

- What can you do when you run into the Glass Ceiling?

- Comparing the levels of diversity between industries - EEOC statistics

Job opportunities
- Find job opportunities from diversity-sensitive employers
Resources
Professional organizations

National Association of Asian American Professionals

National Society for Hispanic Professionals

National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering

Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science

 

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