In previous weeks, we’ve reviewed the diversity reports of some truly great tech giants. Both Apple and Tesla have been releasing these diversity reports for years, however, for the fiscal year of 2020, rail giants Amtrak have released their first-ever diversity report. Today we get a sneak peek into the first addition of Amtrak’s diversity report. We’ll look at the stats and crunch the numbers of America’s number one rail travel provider.
As stated before, this is Amtrak’s first-ever diversity report. The nearly 50-year-old company has never released this type of data. In a statement from the Executive Leadership Team Amtrak said, “To our knowledge, this is the first time in Amtrak’s history that the company has issued such a report.” They later go on to say that “We are candid about the report’s findings: Our senior leadership team does not reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, and we have a long way to go before we do.” Amtrak’s diversity and inclusion statement states that Amtrak aims to be the “preferred, safest provider of intercity passenger transportation in the country by building upon and leveraging our diversity, fostering inclusion and creating a workplace that produces a sense of community for all employees.” But just how are Amtrak producing this “sense of community” in their workplace and who are their community of employees?
According to the FY20 diversity report, Amtrak employs 17,382 workers around the country, 80.3% and 19.7% male and female respectively. The workforce is also broken up into ethnicity, 54.7% and 45.3% white and people of color respectively. In the report, Amtrak states that they are “committed to focusing our efforts in underrepresented groups in our agreement and management populations.” Though Amtrak is committed to these underrepresented groups, it’s even more committed to drawing in women to their workforce. Amtrak has partnered with Women in Transportation (WIT), Advanced Minorities’ Interest in Engineering (AMIE), and Women in Technology International (WITI) to help bridge the gap in their workforce. It is through these partnerships that Amtrak hopes to leverage women in its workforce and close the gender gap.
Although this is Amtrak’s first diversity report, it shows that the company is actively making efforts to diversify its workforce and close the gender gap. We can expect that within the next fiscal year, Amtrak will release its next diversity report and with much-changed statistics. With great partnerships like WITI and WIT, Amtrak is on the right track.