Target wants to increase its Black workforce by 20% over the next three years.
The retailer publicized its hiring goal Thursday morning in conjunction with the release of its latest diversity report. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission examined the 2019 racial and gender makeup of Target’s workers at every level of employment.
The data shows Black people make up 15% of all Target workers, but only 12% of the company’s managers. Just 5% of Target’s officers and 8% of its leadership team identified as Black. The company’s board of directors, however, is 15% Black.
White people, in comparison, represent 50% of all Target employees, 61% of the company’s managers, 71% of its officers and 75% of its leadership team. Target’s board of directors is 54% White.
Target (TGT) Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Kiera Fernandez said the company also plans to provide additional leadership development, training programs and mentorship to its Black team members with a focus in business areas where Black representation is relatively low.
“The changes we’re making are going to have a meaningful impact on the careers of our Black team members and prospective team members,” Fernandez said in a written statement. “We know the support we have for our team helps extend our reach outside our walls, creating a ripple effect that impacts our guests and communities.”
Target said its new Black employment goals were a product of the company’s Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) committee, a group of diverse senior leaders working to inform the retailer’s self-described “fight to end systemic racism in the United States.”
