Cars and Drivers

Only 4% Of Tesla American Management Is Black

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: December 5, 2020 5:51 am

Last Updated: December 5, 2020 5:52 am

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) released its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Impact. Most of the report was photos which had little to do with the subjects. In relatively small print, Tesla said it does not have a diverse workforce at all.

Some highlights…

Black and African American employees are 10% of our U.S. workforce. This group has experienced a 60% increase in representation in management, representing 4% of our Director level and above employees. Black and African Americans employees comprise 12% of new hires and 10% of promotions respectively – a 9% and 11% increase from 2019.

And,

Hispanic and Latinx employees are 22% of our U.S. workforce, and while they currently represent only 4% of our Director level and above employees, they represent 24% of all promotions this year – reflecting a 14% increase and Tesla’s active efforts at cultivating and developing diverse talent. Additionally, 27% of all new hires in 2020 were Hispanic and Latinx.

And,

Women represent 21% of our overall U.S. workforce and 23% of all promotions – a 5% increase from last year. They represent 17% of our Directors and Vice Presidents. In 2020, nearly 25% of all U.S. hires have been women.

Tech companies in general have poor records with regard to women and people of color in management. Many have hired “diversity officers” which so far does not seem to have changed the problem. Among these same company’s management, there have been comments that there are not enough trained people of color to create a pool for people to move some into management.

In Tesla’s case, the question is, has it even tried?