Percentage of African Americans in management on the decline – EEOC report

After rising during the 1970s through the 1990s, African Americans’ participation rates in many job categories slowed or declined in the 2000s, says a report by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The report, “American Experiences Versus American Expectations” illustrates changes to the United States workforce in the 50 years since the EEOC was created in 1965. It updates 1977 research, “Black Expectations Versus Black Experiences,” and reflects data through fiscal 2013.

The new report is based on a form, Employer Information Report EEO-1, all employers with 100 or more employees must file, with about 70,000 filing it in fiscal 2013, according to the report.

“Despite notable progress in diversity and inclusion in the workplace over the past half century, this report highlights continued job segregation by race and gender, with women and people of color disproportionately occupying lower paying positions,” EEOC Chair Jenny R. Yang, said in a statement.

According to the report, the rate of increases slowed for several categories since the 1990s, with the rate in officials and managers and professionals categories declining slightly in recent years.

For instance, the participation rates for African American officials and managers, which was just 0.87 percent in 1966, reached a height of 6.94 percent in 2008 before slipping to 6.77 percent in 2013. Similarly, the rate for professionals, which was 1.32 percent in 1966, reached a height of 7.75 percent in 2008 and dipped to 7.6 percent in 2013.

Among other results, Hispanics saw increased participation rates across all job categories from 1966 through 2013, while Asian Americans saw consistent increases in participation during the period.

However, except for those in the service workers category in 1984, American Indians or Alaska natives experienced less than 1 percent participation rate in each of the categories. Participation rate for women fluctuated by category in the same period.