Facebook Releases Employee Diversity Report For First Time To Public

Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), for the first time, has joined a number of technology companies releasing their diversity figures publicly.

The Menlo Park, California social media giant revealed its figures Wednesday even as tech titans like Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) have begun seeking public input on how to close the huge gender gap present throughout the technology industry. Numbers released by Facebook continue to reaffirm the diversity problem faced by these companies.

According to diversity data released by Facebook, of its global employee base, only 31 percent are female. Furthermore, U.S. employees are primarily white, with minorities consisting of 43 percent of its workforce.

The gender gap present at Facebook jumps even higher when focused only on its tech employees, where only 15 percent of the workforce is female.

However, to Facebook’s credit, the gender balance of its non-tech employees has been relatively balanced, with 47 percent of global non-tech employees consisting of females. The company has acknowledged that a more diverse Facebook is still a long way off.

To fix its diversity problems, Facebook is expanding its support of various organizations, such as the Anita Borg Institute, which supports the careers of women in technology, and has launched Facebook University, an internship program focused on “underrepresented groups” interested in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

“We have a long way to go, but we’re absolutely committed to achieving greater diversity at Facebook and across the industry,” Facebook Global Head of Diversity Maxine Williams said, in a public statement.