Despite a focus on DE&I, 24% of tech professionals say they experienced racial discrimination in 2022, up from 18% in the previous year, according to data from Dice, a job board for technology workers and division of DHI Group Inc.

Meanwhile, 26% of tech professionals said they experienced gender discrimination in 2022, up from 21% in the previous year.

The data also found that underrepresented groups are generally less satisfied with their careers than their counterparts. And discrimination can have very real impacts on tech professionals’ satisfaction, burnout rates, perception of compensation fairness and general quality of life.

“The data we have gathered … shows how important equality and belonging in the workplace are to all tech professionals, and especially those in underrepresented groups,” DHI Group CEO Art Zeile says. “Creating an environment that is inclusive and safe and where every employee can be their true selves requires buy-in and effort from everyone at all levels of an organization.”


Job surveillance a turnoff

Companies have been adding employee productivity and tracking tools over the past few years, but a survey by 1E, a digital employee experience company, found that IT professionals in many cases are taking a dim view of such products.

The organization found that 52% of IT workers would turn down an otherwise desirable position if they knew the company used employee productivity surveillance technology.

In addition, three-quarters of IT workers say requiring them to deploy technology to track other employees would negatively impact their willingness to remain in their current position. Thirty percent would begin actively applying for different jobs, and 3% would immediately quit. Furthermore, two in five IT workers say it would make them more open to other offers, making them an easy target for recruiters actively seeking to fill their open IT positions.

Also, 73% of IT managers said they wouldn’t be comfortable instructing their staff to deploy such tools — especially if the company is not being fully transparent. And 28% of IT managers indicate an uptick in employees quitting and 27% report difficulty hiring new employees when these tools are in use.


Résumé-formatting scam targets job seekers

The Better Business Bureau warns of a scam targeting job seekers in which they are asked to pay to reformat their résumés for a company’s applicant tracking system.

Fake recruiters contact candidates and claim they found the person’s information on LinkedIn or a job search website and say they seem like a good fit for a role, according to the BBB. The fake recruiters request a résumé but then say it needs to be reformatted for an ATS. They then recommend a website for reformatting. Once on the website, job seekers will be asked to submit personal information and make a payment. They may receive a “formatted” résumé that doesn’t look much different from what submitted — if they receive anything at all.

“The formatting service is a dishonest scheme to get your money and personal details,” according to the BBB. “The job you’re applying for doesn’t even exist.”


Threefold increase in WFH

The percent of home-based workers more than tripled between 2019 and 2021, going to 28 million workers from 9 million, according to data released in April by the US Census Bureau.

By industry, those working from home in 2021 represented 20% of workers in public administration; 36% in professional, scientific, management and administrative; and nearly 40% in finance, insurance and real estate.

Among the 57 US metro areas with a million or more residents, 11 had 25% or more home-based workers in 2021. Five of these 11 metro areas are in the West, four are in the South, and there is one each in the Northeast and Midwest.