Amazon outlines detailed set of diversity commitments for this year

Amazon revealed its 2021 goals for diversity, equity and inclusion on Wednesday, including increasing the representation of Black and female employees in the company.

In a message to employees, Amazon Senior Vice President Beth Galetti outlined a series of objectives, writing, “We are committed to fostering a culture in which inclusion is the norm for all Amazonians.”

The goals for the year include doubling the number of Black directors and vice presidents in the U.S., increasing the hiring of Black corporate employees by at least 30 percent, and increasing the number of female senior principles, directors, vice presidents and distinguished engineers in tech and science roles by more than 30 percent.

Additionally, the company aims to increase the number of Black software development engineer interns in the U.S. by at least 40 percent and to ensure that all Amazon employees take the required inclusion training.

Galetti called these goals the “next step in Amazon’s diversity, equity, and inclusion journey, not the final destination.”

“It is going to take time and consistent focus to get where we want to be,” she added.

Galetti said that Amazon met its 2020 goals of doubling the representation of Black directors and vice presidents, launching training for all Amazon employees and removing racially insensitive language from its tech documentation.

She also said the company spent “several months diving deep” into the tools used to hire, develop and promote employees to “better identify opportunities to ensure equitable access for all.”

According to Amazon’s workforce data, in 2020, 44.6 percent of the company’s global workforce was female, including 46.9 percent in the U.S. These numbers were up from 2019, when 42.7 percent of the global workforce was female, including 45.4 percent in the U.S.

Last year for Amazon, 26.5 percent of the U.S. workforce was Black, 22.8 percent was Latino, 13.6 percent was Asian, 3.6 percent was multiracial and 1.5 percent was Native American.

These numbers were increases for Blacks, Latino and Native Americans from 2019. The multiracial percentage of the workforce remained the same over the year, while the Asian percentage slightly dropped from 2019.