What Diversity Job Skills Will Make It in 2017?

The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) employment situation report for November notes signs of growth with 2016 in general having had an average of 180,000 employment growth per month. 

The White House's summary of November's employment situation highlights this positive aspect: The economy added 178,000 jobs in November, extending the longest streak of total job growth on record, as the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent.

In December, the White House was pleased to note that 292, 000jobs were added, marking the strongest two years of job creation since 1998-2000. December was seen as a strong month for employment growth though it could have posted more growth were it not for global headwinds that continue to restrain job growth, the White House further noted.

Business Insider likewise reported on the increase in wages – that based on the BLS employment report, US wages in December rose at the fastest pace since mid-2009.

The BLS reported:
In December, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents to $26.00, after edging down by 2 cents in November. Over the year, average hourly earnings have risen by 2.9 percent. In December, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees increased by 7 cents to $21.80.

With that, 2017 promises to be another fruitful year for employment. Now there are 3 job skills areas that, according to Bill Gates, will be successful in the future job market.

And based on the data he's collected, Gates concludes that people with three backgrounds will be the most in-demand from here on out: science, engineering and economics.

Workers proficient in those subjects will be "the agents of change for all institutions," Gates tells LinkedIn Executive Editor Daniel Roth.

Based on the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, the following jobs falling in those 3 areas, are projected to grow between 2014 -2024

Science Jobs

* Statisticians: projected growth rate is 30 percent or faster

* Home Health Aids: projected growth rate is 30 percent or faster

* Computer Systems Analysts: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Web Developers: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Diagnostice Medical Sonographers: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Mathematicians: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Surgeons: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

Engineering

* Biomedical Engineers: projected growth rate is 20-29 percent

* Petroleum Engineers: projected growth is 10-19 percent

* Cost Estimators: projected growth is 0-9 percent

* Aerospace Engineering and Operation Technicians: projected growth rate is 0-9 percent

* Industrial Engineers: projected growth rate is 0-9 percent

Economics

* Personal Financial Advisors: projected growth rate is 30 percent or faster

* Operations Research Analysts: projected growth rate is 30 percent or faster

* Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists: projected growth rate is 10-19 percent

* Financial Analysts: projected growth rate is 10-19 percent

* Accountants and Auditors: projected growth rate is 10-19 percent

* Economics Teachers, postsecondary: projected rate is 10-19 percent

These are only a sampling of jobs found under those areas, which the BLS has projected to grow within the decade. From the data given, jobs in the information technology healthcare/medical fields, and in economics, have faster or higher growth rate than engineering jobs.

As the above-mentioned article on Bill Gates' prediction, Gates said that people with these jobs will be the agents of change in the future. "I do think of basic knowledge of the sciences, math skills, economics — a lot of careers in the future will be very demanding on those things," Gates says, the article quoted him.

A LinkedIn study of its database, to see which job skills are needed in the 2017 workplace, correlates these findings, as reported. The IT/cloud computing jobs will be in demand this year, not only in the US but also around the world. Here's the list of those 10 job skills:

1. Cloud and Distributed Computing

2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining

3. Web Architecture and Development Framework

4. Middleware and Integration Software

5. User Interface Design

6. Network and Information Security

7. Mobile Development

8. Data Presentation

9. SEO/SEM Marketing

10. Storage Systems and Management

In addition to hiring people with technical skills, a different LinkedIn survey found that those with soft skills are most likely to get hired: good communicators, are organized, work well as part of a team, and are punctual. Critical thinking, creativity, and social skills are also prized by employers.

Warren Buffet has also something to say, and it's worth listening to his wisdom, if you want to get ahead in your career, in whatever field you work. Buffet gave this advice to a group of business students way back in 2009, but is as relevant today as it was then – the art/skill of public speaking.

"Now, you can improve your value by 50 percent just by learning communication skills--public speaking. If that's the case, see me after class and I'll pay you $150,000." 

Warren Buffet makes a great point indeed. This skill is not only useful for entrepreneurs, but for anyone wanting to A job candidate with this useful skill can easily make a pitch about him/herself in the job interview. Or an employee can impress his/her boss and peers with an excellent presentation.

Not only that, equipped with good communication skills, especially the skill of speaking in public without fear, can be especially beneficial for people from historically marginalized groups, those from the minority sectors of the population, as they face workplace bias, prejudice, and even racism, which still persist in our society. They can have confidence to speak up for their rights and denounce whatever abuses they may face in the course of seeking a job, or in their place of employment.

Implication of the demand for STEM skills on diversity

STEM jobs are traditionally known to favor Whites, men, and Asians, and few Hispanics. For example, as noted by a previous DiversityWorking.com article, an analysis by Gizmodo (a design, technology, science and science fiction website) of the combined EEO-1s and the diversity reports of the 6 leading tech companies in the US: Airbnb, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Yahoo, reveal their workforce were not reflective of the country's demography consisting of 72 percent white, 16 percent Hispanic, 12.6 percent black, 4.8 percent Asian. The workforce in each of these tech companies, at the time of the analysis, was predominantly white and of Asian origin.

On closer look, according to other reports, Asian Americans/Asians in tech rarely get to top positions. They are for the most part, employees, not CEOs. In terms of gender, women tend to be overlooked as well.

The point is with forecasts saying 2017 is the year for STEM skills/jobs, there may be concerns that these STEM jobs will again be in favor of whites, Asian Americans/Asians, and males.

However, there are other diversity-minded companies that continue to reach out to the culturally-diverse marketplace in their search for the best diversity job candidates. Moreover, these companies do their best to create inclusive workplaces.

Women for STEM

Also, there seems to be a trend that women now are being considered more and more for tech positions, studies reveal. Back in 2015, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that women are more likely than men to be hired for faculty positions in science, mathematics and technology, an Inside Higher Ed article noted. The same articles also took note of another study that revealed that men (and specifically white men) do not have the advantage that many assume they do in being hired in STEM fields. Women and black and Latino researchers instead have an advantage, the study found. It also found an apparent disadvantage for Asian researchers starting their careers.

That's a glimmer of hope. It can be expected that companies will strive to include more women, as well as other minorities in their hiring requirements – not just for the numbers, but to build inclusivity in their respective organizations.

Besides, that women are left out from STEM may not entirely be due to gender bias. A report by the National Science Foundation, "Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering," suggests that when women were not working, or if they were, only on a part-time basis, family responsibilities were often cited as the reason. Here's an excerpt from that report:

"Across all racial/ethnic groups, female scientists and engineers who were not working were far more likely than men to cite family responsibilities and less likely than men to cite retirement as the reason for not working. Within each racial/ethnic group, female scientists and engineers who were employed part time cited family responsibilities more frequently than men..."

Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in STEM

The importance of diversity and inclusion in STEM cannot be overstated, as it fuels the growth of the economy. One noted scientist at the National Cancer Institute, Kenneth (Kenny) Gibbs, Jr., PhD, wrote in his article published in the Scientific American that diversity is the way to promote excellence in STEM, and it includes people from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented and those from backgrounds that are traditionally well represented.

Thus here's hoping 2017 be indeed a year of growth for all sectors in society, where diversity and inclusion is not only a mantra or a stated philosophy in a company's manual, but a truly lived experience.

Keenan & Associates: Making A Difference with Innovation and Diversity

In 1972, Keenan & Associates, one of DiversityWorking.com's newest diversity company members, was founded by John Keenan, and ever since has committed itself to providing the best solutions for their customers from among California educational institutions, public agencies and healthcare organizations.

In addition to providing high quality, cost-effective insurance, employee benefits, and financial services, Keenan seeks to educate its clients by also providing informational workshops and seminars on topics that are relevant to the needs of its customers, with no charge at all.

Hence, Keenan continues to gain the trust and confidence of its clients and the communities it serves, and grown to be what today is condisidered being the largest privately held insurance brokerage/consulting firm in California. It has gathered a collection of testimonials attesting to how satisfied its customers are with the financial consulting, savings & transition programs, technology, and resources the company provides them.

Fueling the company's growth is its employees. Keenan believes its employees are their greatest assests, and so encourages them to make a difference; to be innovative, as that's the company motto. At the same time, the company is dedicated to providing its employees with opportunities to grow their careers with the company. Thus, it is not only a job that one gets when he/she decides to work for Keenan, but a fulfilling career.

As there are many paths to one's career growth, the employee and his/her manager explore the potential paths open to him/her. They discuss the employee's professional development plan according to his/her career goals, with such available tools as the following, to mention just some: competency models, career paths, and training recommendations.

In addition, employees receive a competitive compensation and generous benefits package. These are only among some of the benefits an employee gets as part of a winning, innovative team:

• Medical Insurance

• Dental Insurance

• Vision Insurance

• Life Insurance

• Medical/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• Behavioral Health Plan

• Short Term Disability

• Long Term Disability

• Long Term Care Coverage
  
  
• ESOP Employee Stock Ownership Plan
  
  
• Paid Holidays
  
  
• Paid Time Off (PTO)

The Company appreciates uniqueness of each of their employees, and is committed to diversity and inclusion, and to their sense of well-being. No wonder then, it has been adjudged as one of “The Best Places to Work”, as well as a Fit-Friendly workplace.

So what are you waiting for? If you want a career that grows and work for a company that keeps growing, check out Keenan's job opportunities here. It's a winning deal.

Keenan & Associates is DiversityWorking.com's New Diversity Company Member

DiversityWorking.com, a career opportunity resource and job search engine for the cultural diversity marketplace, is pleased to announce the inclusion of Keenan & Associates to its prestigious roster of diversity company-members.

Keenan & Associates is the largest privately held insurance brokerage/consulting firm in California. The company, an industry leader in this field, provides California hospitals and healthcare organizations with high quality, cost-effective insurance, employee benefits, and financial services through its innovative solutions.

Aside from its innovative solutions, Keenan & Associates is well known for its enduring principles that govern the way it runs its business which has been going strong since its founding in 1972. It is committed to solving the needs of their customers and directly supporting their communities.

Keenan has been voted as one of the “Best Places to Work,” and recognized by the American Heart Association with a Fit-Friendly Worksite Platinum Achievement Award in 2014 for meeting its criteria for employee wellness.

At Keenan, one is provided not only with a job, but with tools for one's professional development, on top of a rewarding compensation and benefits package. The company recognizes employees its greatest assests, apppreciates their uniquenessand likewise encourages them to be innovators.

Thus, Keenan & Associates – in its quest for diverse, qualified individuals to join its winning team - has partnered with DiversityWorking.com, whose mission is to help companies promote their jobs, build their brand and send targeted and qualified diversity candidates directly to the best jobs possible. Products and services include a resume database, job search engine, and targeted corporate diversity branding opportunities.

To find out more about Keenan & Associates and its exciting job opportunities, please click here.

Schaedler Yesco: Winning on Customer Satisfaction and Diversity

A simple family business operation created by three brothers has now grown into an award-winning huge enterprise spanning almost a century, 3 generations, several locations across the state of Pennsylvania, and a long history of a merger, acquisitions and recognition awards.

What started as a family enterprise, the Schaedler Bros. Inc.,by the Schaedler brothers – Harry, Andrew and William – in 1924, with the goal of purchasing, plating, assembling, and selling of light fixture parts, became a merger with York Electrical Supply Company (YESCO), in 1999. YESCO itself started out in 1944 as Motter Electric Company, formed to distribute electrical supplies. Later, in 1956, Motter became officially known as YESCO.

The merger of Schaedler Bros, Inc. and YESCO brought forth the Schaedler Yesco Distribution, Inc. (SYD), which has become the largest electrical distributor based in Central Pennsylvania, and one of DiversityWorking.com's newest diversity company members. As they say, the rest is history, with the company having expanded with new locations and alliances to form a unique, one-of-a-kind multi-distributor business model in the distribution industry.

Schaedler Yesco has remained in the family as well with the 3^rd generation members joining in 1972 and in 1985 respectively. Aside from that though, employees become co-owners through the company's ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), which is among the attractive company benefits it provides.

Because of its policy of non-discrimination, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and regarding its employees as its most valuable assets, Schaedler Yesco was recognized as among The Best Places to Work in PA, not once, but 10 times: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Indeed, there must be something in the SYD workplace that makes people enjoy being part of the company's winning team, aside from the satisfaction of providing value-added products and services to its customers.

At Schaedler Yesco, employees enjoy competitive compensation and benefits package. Benefits include:

*Flexible Spending Account;

*Dental (employee coverage paid by SYD);

*Vision (employee coverage paid by SYD);

*401(k) with company match;

*Company paid Long Term Disability & Short Term Disability;

*Company paid life insurance policy;

*Paid Time Off;
*Paid Holidays;
*Continuing education - Tuition Reimbursement Program;

*Ongoing training programs; and

the ESOP mentioned above.

Thus, If you wish to grow your career with a company that keeps on growing with its winning ways, and be a winning team player, check on this link for Schaedler Yesco's job opportunities.

DiversityWorking.com Announces Schaedler Yesco Its New Diversity Company Member

DiversityWorking.com, a career opportunity resource and job search engine for the cultural diversity marketplace, announces with pleasure the inclusion of Schaedler Yesco Distribution, Inc.  to its prestigious roster of diversity company-members.

Schaedler Yesco is a unique family and employee-owned, electrical distributor that supplies value add products and services, with a mission to enhance our customers’ performance and profitability by being the leading provider of distributor services and solutions.

From its founding until this day, Schaedler Yesco has grown with tremendous success yet continues to operate as your neighborhood supplier with a personal touch, living out its core principles: Integrity, Profitability, Accountability, and Teamwork.

Schaedler Yesco sees its employees as its most valuable assets, who are directly responsible for our success and continued growth. An Equal Opportunity Employer, the company does not discriminate against any qualified employer or applicant, and its non-discrimination policy applies to all its employment practices, including among others hiring, training, and promotion.

Thus, Schaedler Yesco – in its quest for diverse, qualified individuals to join its winning team - has partnered with DiversityWorking.com, whose mission is to help companies promote their jobs, build their brand and send targeted and qualified diversity candidates directly to the best jobs possible. Products and services include a resume database, job search engine, and targeted corporate diversity branding opportunities.

To find out more about Schaedler Yesco and its exciting job opportunities, please click here.

Why Diversity Reports by Tech Companies Problematic

A recently published article on Gizmodo says that diversity reports by tech companies are misleading, for these contain “significant, quantifiable discrepancies—in workforce diversity, in gender equity among people of color, and in representation among top leadership.”

The problem with these reports is that, one – they do not show the real score, the article said. Even the industry’s annual annual diversity reports, a crucial step towards transparency, can hide vital information and nuance.

For example, in filing their EEO-1, or the Employer Information Report -- a required document to be submitted to the EEOC and the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs – companies use raw numbers to describe their workforce profile in terms of race, gender, and employee classification.

In their self-reported diversity data, however, only percentages are used, which do not really depict a clear demographic data of their organizations.

At the same time, an analysis by Gizmodo of the combined EEO-1s and the diversity reports of each of these 6 leading tech companies in the country – Airbnb, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Apple and Yahoo - reveals a still predominantly white, Asian workforce, not reflective of the US demography which consists of 72 percent white, 16 percent Hispanic, 12.6 percent black, 4.8 percent Asian,

despite these companies' avowal to improve their respective workforce diversity.

The ethnic or race diversity of each of these companies in 2015 showed the following:

Airbnb: 48% White, 43% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black and 5% Other (Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaskan Native, and non-disclosed race)

Facebook: 51% White, 43% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black and 2% Other

Microsoft: 55% White, 36% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 2% Black and 3% Other

Google: 59% White, 35% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black and 3% Other

Apple: 59% White, 25% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 7% Black and 1% Other

Yahoo: 61% White, 31% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black and 4% Other

Asians/Asian Americans in Tech Industry

A quick look at the figures above show the odds seem to be in favor of Asian Americans, but some think they are still discriminated against, according to a report by the Christian Science Monitor.

While Asians are well-represented in the tech industry, the representation doesn’t extend to the executive level, a phenomena that applies to other minority groups as well. A study released May 2015 by Ascend, a pan-Asian organization of business professionals in North America, found that while Asians represent 27.2 percent of the professional workforce for tech giants Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LinkedIn and Yahoo, only 13.9 percent of them are executives.

This situation in fact was also reported last year – that Asian Americans and Asians (holders of H-1B visas) are often employees, rarely CEOs.

Ascend, an Asian-American professional organization based in New York, found that although 27 percent of professionals working at those companies are Asian or Asian-American, fewer than 19 percent of managers, and just under 14 percent of executives, are.

Asian women are especially underrepresented.

Another report says the same thing: The authors crunched previously unavailable EEOC data for 2013 released by Google, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, LinkedIn, and Yahoo, which includes data for 139,370 professionals. They found that whites were overrepresented in management (72.2%) and executive (80.3%) roles compared to the 62.2% of professional technical staff they represented. And, they found that Asians were 27.2% of professionals, 18.8% of managers, and 13.9% of executives.

It should also be noted that the Asian American/Asian community in the US is likewise a diverse group; hence, one needs to take a closer look at who among this demographic group are most likely to be in STEM.

A survey by the Pew Research Center a few years back showed that among Asians in the US with H-1B visas, those from India comprised 56 % while 44% came from other countries.

In terms of high educational attainment, among Asian Americans aged 25 years and older, 70% of Indian descent have a bachelor's degree or higher, followed by 53% Koreans, 51% Chinese, 47% Filipinos, 46% Japanese and 26% Vietnamese. 

Gender Disparity in Tech Industry

In terms of gender diversity, the Gizmodo article reported that those six major tech companies were predominantly male; but when tech companies focus on recruiting more women, that usually results in more white women.

In other words, women of color remain to be a marginalized group – not only because of their gender, but of their race/ethnicity.

As to the general lack of gender diversity in tech, some observers think this is brought about by women's own lack of interest in the field, while there are those that say the discrimination and sexism faced by women in STEM – such as being passed over in favor of men with equal qualifications - are what push them to leave the industry. http://www.diversityworking.com/communityChannels/women/

A recent report released by First Round, a venture capital firm, on the state of US startup companies shows that men and women seem to differ in their view as to the reason behind the lack of diversity in the tech industry.

It interviewed more than 700 founders, 83% of whom were male, and found that diversity is still huge problem within the technology sector. […] Nearly 50% of men thought the main reason was too few women and minorities entering the tech sector. Only 23% of women agreed with them. The biggest reason for the lack of diversity in tech, in female founders’ eyes, was unconscious bias. Only 12% of male founders thought this was the main driver behind male and pale dominance.

Some tech insiders allude to a dearth in the pipeline as a reason for the industry's diversity problem; however, some diversity proponents see this only as an excuse, an NPR report said.

The "pipeline" argument — that there are simply not enough properly skilled minorities for hire — has troubled diversity experts in Silicon Valley for years.
"It's always been a cop-out," says Kalimah Priforce, who runs Oakland-based Qeyno Labs, which organizes hackathons targeted at minority youth. "The pipeline has a bias. ... Their version of the pipeline is what's creating the outcome that we see." 

But back to what the Gizmodo says in its article, though there has been progress made so far in increasing the diversity numbers in the tech sector, much still needs to be done. We know diversity companies have their own diversity initiatives and diversity goals. Yet some commenters say there is only much talk, without much implementation of suggested solutions. 

It's clear a big challenge remains in the tech industry. It is not only a question of improving the numbers by hiring and retaining more, but this calls for truly creating a more inclusive, welcoming work environment where each employee can perform to his/her utmost best. Diversity and inclusion. They go hand in hand.

Perhaps it is time for the top brass – especially the males - to look more honestly inside them, spot their unconscious biases, and exert all means to erase these from their system. Those at the top should try to get down from their pedestal and mingle with those from the minority groups in their organizations and see things from their perspective. It's the only way to make things better: to walk the talk.

And not the least, diversity reports should be honest reflection of the real diversity state in the respective workplace - and that include specific, measurable goals and trackable accountability that reflects on particular managers — and the CEO.

DiversityWorking.com Announces Thorlabs as New Diversity Company Member

DiversityWorking.com, a career opportunity resource and job search engine for the cultural diversity marketplace, announces with pleasure the inclusion of Thorlabs to its prestigious roster of diversity company-members.

Thorlabs is a New Jersey based manufacturer of photonic tools and systems founded in 1989. The company's products range from optics and opto-mechanical positioning components to sophisticated optical imaging systems, with a catalog offerings of over 15,000 products served to its community of customers worldwide.

With locations spread across 9 countries, Thorlabs is able to serve well the communities where they are by coming up with products that are customer-inspired. It's core principle is, in the words written by its founder and president, Alex Cable - “to be connected to our industry in a way that far exceeds what would typically be expected of a vendor. Thorlabs lives this core principle by seeking to enhance, at every turn, the productivity of our customers.”

“I am committed to building a company that achieves its competitive advantage from its fundamental understanding of the community of customers we serve,” continues to say in his message.

Thus, Thorlabs has partnered with DiversityWorking.com, whose mission is to help companies promote their jobs, build their brand and send targeted and qualified diversity candidates directly to the best jobs possible. Products and services include a resume database, job search engine, and targeted corporate diversity branding opportunities.

To find out more about Thorlabs and its job opportunities, please click here.