Dive Brief:
- Almost a year after promising to advance social justice and create a work environment where Black employees feel included, Target reported progress in its 2020 Workforce Diversity Report.
- Target said Black representation increased nearly 25% among its officers in addition to "positive progress" across all salaried levels, the company said Tuesday. The company in September 2020 promised to increase Black representation across the company by 20% by 2023.
- Since its last diversity report, Target's workforce diversity has been steady, per the report. People of color make up 50% of its team members and 25% of the leadership team. Roughly half of both Target's team members (58%) and its leadership team (50%) are women.
Dive Insight:
After the killing of George Floyd, which ignited mass protests against racial injustice, retailers like Target have been rolling out initiatives to advance Black employees and Black-owned businesses.
"Part of that commitment is setting data-driven goals and transparently holding ourselves accountable every day for making progress across the organization," Kiera Fernandez, senior vice president of talent and change, and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a statement.
Target's initial goal toward pursuing racial equity included focusing on four key areas: team, guests, communities, and civic engagement and public policy.
In April, Target pledged to spend $2 billion with Black-owned companies across different categories, including marketing agencies, construction companies and facilities maintenance providers. Target plans to add products from over 500 Black-owned businesses and provide new resources for Black-owned startups as part of the investment.
The retailer also said it plans to be an industry leader for providing inclusive brands and experiences by 2030, in addition to creating a team that reflects its customer demographic by then.
Fernandez admits in the statement that Target is "working toward ambitious goals" but that they're achievable through the support of the company's leadership and team members.
As criticism against representation within retail executives continues to spark conversation, Target, in its latest report, said it maintained representation among board members, with a third of them being women and almost half being either Latino or Black.
