Women accounted for 32.7% of global departures for the fiscal year that ended June 30
Globally, women accounted for 32.7 per cent of departures for the fiscal year that ended June 30, up from 31 per cent in 2023, according to Microsoft’s diversity and inclusion report, which was released Wednesday and measures voluntary and involuntary departures. Black workers accounted for 10 per cent of U.S. exits, compared with 8.7 per cent the previous year, while Latinx departures rose to 9.8 per cent from eight per cent. By contrast, fewer male and Asian employees left last year than in 2023.
The software giant attributed the trends to poaching by rivals, as well as a continued shift away from its physical and online retail business, which has typically had a more diverse workforce.
Microsoft continues to hire people from more unrepresented groups but must work harder to retain them, Microsoft Chief Diversity Officer Lindsay-Rae McIntyre said in an interview. “Once that talent arrives at Microsoft we know that we’ve got to do more,” she said. That includes providing mentors and career options “that give them an ongoing reason to invest and stay at Microsoft.”
An increasing number of jobs in cloud-computing data centers, which are widely distributed geographically is giving Microsoft opportunities to boost diversity in hiring, she said.
“It’s going to take lots of perspectives to birth a trusted AI that everybody wants to engage with,” McIntyre said.