Posted on: April 6, 2023, 04:16h.
Last updated on: April 6, 2023, 04:45h.
The US gaming industry lags most other sectors when it comes to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. That’s according to new data from the American Gaming Association (AGA), a prominent DC lobbying group working for commercial and tribal casinos, iGaming operators, and sportsbooks.
Employment practices are changing from 26 member societies, the AGA has compiled its “Game Industry Workforce Diversity Report” by reviewing individual firm industry demographic data to determine how the US industry is playing the game when it comes to diversity. The AGA said strong developments were evident across the sector.
Consumers, policymakers and investors alike are raising the prospect of how they contribute to society beyond the bottom line,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. showing continuous progress.”
More than six in 10 (61%) of gaming industry employees are minorities, compared to 52% in the broader entertainment industry, and 42% across all US industries.
Minority makeup, 23% Hispanic and 19% black, both of which are higher than the national average. More minors work in operations (60%) than artists in play (40%).
Survey said
The AGA invited its members to submit their Equal Employment Opportunity reports, as required by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for companies with 100 or more employees. AGA reports were circulated between November 17th and December 23rd.
The AGA said the results of the EEOC’s submissions by the “larger firm” are consistent. The diversity association’s report revealed that the participating members included eight game manufacturers and 18 companies that operate commercially and three cases.
The AGA finds great strides have been made towards diversity across all levels of the gaming industry. Compared to national averages, the sports industry is significantly more diverse at the middle and upper management levels.
“The gaming industry is more significantly diverse at the Entry/Med-Level and Professional level,” where minorities make up about 55% of the workforce. These employers are already industry leaders in many respects and represent the talent pool that future C-suite executives and board members will come from,” the AGA report concluded.
We need more female leaders
With more ethnic inclusion, the AGA Diversity Report found that gender disparity has narrowed over the past decade. Today, nearly one in two (48%) US sports industry workers are women.
While this is roughly in line with the national average, the representation of women in senior faculty at the gymnasium remains substantially lower than the average among all sectors. There is one area where further improvements are needed, Miller said.
“As today’s report shows, our industry has made many impactful steps, but there is more work to be done,” Miller explained. “The AGA will use this research to engage our membership in how we can collectively advance DII (diversity, equity and inclusion) in sports in the months and years to come.”
