Mountain View, California — March 4, 2021 — Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions, has released findings from its 2021 North America Internal Staff and Temporary Workers Surveys into the perception of diversity and inclusion at staffing firms and in contingent work environments with respect to age, gender and racial fairness.
The findings reflect the opinions of internal employees at staffing firms as well as temporary/contingent workers placed through staffing firms. Overall, both surveys found that employees feel they receive fair treatment and are not at an advantage or disadvantage based on age, race or gender.
Most staffing employee respondents felt their firm did a good job ensuring diversity and inclusion, with typically 80%-90% in any demographic surveyed agreeing or strongly agreeing with this sentiment. Participants who gender-identified as non-binary stood out with the lowest rate of agreement (60%) regarding diversity (and the highest rate of disagreement, 14%), as well as the lowest rate of agreement (62%) regarding inclusion (and the highest rate of disagreement, 12%).
Black staff were also more likely to disagree regarding fair treatment and with respect to diversity and inclusion, with a small but consistent percentage expressing disagreement throughout the survey. However, the perception of racial equity within the staffing industry as compared to general employment was notably higher among Black respondents, with 38% expressing a disadvantage based on race in the working world at large as compared to 10% expressing feeling disadvantaged in the staffing industry.
Black temporary workers also reported experiencing higher levels of racial equity in their contingent work assignments as compared to the wider labor market, with 31% of Black respondents expressing a disadvantage based on race in the working world as compared to 15% feeling disadvantaged in their contingent assignment. In all demographic categories of respondents, contingent staff felt they were treated more fairly in their temporary work assignments than in the greater working world.
“Diversity and inclusion are a high priority for staffing firms. These findings speak directly to where there are opportunities to extend and enhance equity and belonging, and to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces,” said Ursula Williams, COO at SIA and member of the WBC Staffing Leadership Council. “The responses can also help us identify best practices in the industry around the fair treatment of employees and contingent workers. A majority of workers in these surveys indicated high levels of satisfaction around diversity and inclusion, and there are organizations out there leading the way in empowering workers and fostering change.”
Key findings were also released this week from a recent WBC Staffing Leadership Council survey on gender and diversity among senior-level staffing executives. The results found a significant gender gap in pay both within the industry and across the US as a whole, a lack of female representation in senior leadership roles, and a lack of racial equity within the industry. Additional insights from this survey are forthcoming. “The growing collection of data, industry perspectives and collaborative efforts is vital to accelerating deeper commitments to inclusion, representation and equal compensation, and to building stronger, healthier businesses,” said Williams.
The full diversity and inclusion findings from the North America Internal Staff Survey and Temporary Worker Survey are available for SIA’s Corporate and CWS Council Members. SIA will also be hosting a panel on Diversity & Inclusion with staffing and workforce solutions leaders during next week’s annual Executive Forum North America conference.
About Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)
SIA is the Global Advisor on Staffing and Workforce Solutions
Elevating the Workforce Solutions Ecosystem
Founded in 1989, SIA is the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Our proprietary research covers all categories of employed and non-employed work including temporary staffing, independent contracting and other types of contingent labor. SIA’s independent and objective analysis provides insights into the services and suppliers operating in the workforce solutions ecosystem including staffing firms, managed service providers, recruitment process outsourcers, payrolling/compliance firms and talent acquisition technology specialists such as vendor management systems, online staffing platforms, crowdsourcing and online work services. We also provide training and accreditation with our unique Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP) program.
Known for our award-winning content, data, support tools, publications, executive conferences and events, we help both suppliers and buyers of workforce solutions make better-informed decisions that improve business results and minimize risk. As a division of the international business media company, Crain Communications Inc., SIA is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in London, England.
Media Contact
Jennifer Arcuni, Communications Director, Staffing Industry Analysts
jarcuni@staffingindustry.com | +1 650-390-6171 | www.staffingindustry.com
