Target Looks to Boost Number of Black Employees
As of 2019, Black employees made up just 15 percent of Target Corp.’s total workforce. Over the next three years, the retailer hopes to boost that figure by at least 20 percent.
On Thursday morning, Target released its 2019 diversity report and pledged to improve diversity at all levels of the organization. According to the report, 50 percent of Target’s 2019 workers were white, 25 percent were Latinx, 15 percent were Black, and 5 percent were Asian.
Broken down by employee category, though, the number of white employees far surpassed employees of color. For instance, more than 70 percent of Target’s officers were white, and three-quarters of its corporate leadership team was white. And this came after the company doubled the number of officers of color over the past five years.
“The company has had diversity and inclusion goals for many years to drive equity for all team members, and results show that more work is needed to increase representation and advancement opportunities and reduce turnover with Black team members,” Target officials said in a news release.
As part of its newest diversity pledge, Target said it will implement new programs to recruit Black employees in “career areas with low levels of representation, including technology, data sciences, merchandising and marketing.” The retailer also said it plans to provide more avenues for Black employees to advance into leadership roles. How? One strategy: Upping the number of mentors and sponsors that can help Black team members get ahead.
Target also plans to conduct anti-racist trainings for leaders and store employees.
“We know that having a diverse workforce and inclusive environment not only creates a stronger team, but also provides the perspectives we need to create the products, services, experiences and messages our guests expect,” said chief human resources officer Melissa Kremer in the release. “The next step in this journey is being even more transparent with our progress by sharing a deeper look into the racial and gender diversity of our team, listening to our team’s feedback along the way and using this information to drive a number of new commitments for our team.”
Target’s new racial equity action and change (REACH) committee is steering the new diversity push. The company created the committee in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.