Netflix released its second annual inclusion report, touting gains in representation among women and Black employees in 2021 — while acknowledging it’s continuing efforts to increase diversity.
Last year, women grew to more than half of Netflix’s global workforce, hitting 51.7% in 2021 compared with 48.7% in 2020. Among its leadership ranks (directors and above), women represented 51.1% of the total, up from 47.8% the year prior.
In the U.S., Netflix employees from historically excluded racial backgrounds comprised 50.5% of the workforce as of December 2021, up from 46.8%, according to the company. That includes an increase of U.S. Black employees from 8.6% to 10.7%, while Black leaders (directors and above) increased from 10.9% to 13.3%. In addition, the number of U.S. Hispanic or Latino employees increased slightly from 7.9% to 8.6%, and those in leadership positions grew from 4.3% to 4.4%.
The report also noted that of the 22 execs on Netflix’s senior leadership team, 10 (45%) are women and five (23%) are from one or more historically excluded ethnic and/or racial backgrounds.
Netflix grew total headcount 25% in 2021, expanding from about 8,000 to 10,000 employees globally. In the U.S. — where the company is required to collect and report race and ethnicity data — it grew 16%, from 6,300 to 7,300 employees.
“We have a lot more work to do, particularly in recruiting more Latino/a/x, Indigenous and other historically excluded talent in the U.S.,” Vernā Myers, Netflix’s VP of inclusion strategy, wrote in a blog post about the report. She added that the company is also “improving how we understand the representation of our workforce outside of the U.S. reporting requirements,” by tracking data such as additional gender identities, disability, veteran status and sexual orientation.
Among the steps it’s taking to improve inclusion, Netflix is expanding inclusive-hiring training for recruiters and hiring managers, including by adding Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and more HBCUs to its pipeline programs and “finding new ways to diversify our executive and company networks,” according to Myers.
The company also now has 16 employee resource groups as part of improving “our culture of inclusion and belonging,” Myers wrote. Netflix has an annual pay-equity review and continued to offer “inclusive benefits,” such as gender-inclusive parental leave, transgender and nonbinary care in its U.S. health plans, and has offered “family-forming support” for employees regardless of marital status, gender, or sexual orientation.
Netflix also has expanded its inclusion strategy team across the globe by hiring leaders in Latin America and Asia-Pacific regions, while expanding the team in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to Myers.
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