Contact:
Katy Pettersen, kpettersen@madisonregion.org, 608.571.0404
Gene Dalhoff, gdalhoff@madisonregion.org, 608.571.0403
Madison, WI – The Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) recently released the full results of its third annual Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Survey. This survey is used to capture quantitative and qualitative data about workforce demographics, business D & I efforts, and community engagement while providing companies with a vehicle to self-assess strengths and opportunities relative to diversity in their workforce.
“A diverse workforce is vital to the sustained economic growth of the region,” said MadREP CEO Paul Jadin. “Assessing the progress of diversity and inclusion efforts by Madison Region employers is a critical step in improving our practices and I am pleased that we not only see a more responsive business community, but also improvements in our practices.”
The survey was sent to a random sample of 2,464 employers (drawn from 7,818 organizations with 10 or more employees) and received 468 responses (a 30% increase over last year) yielding a confidence interval of plus/minus 4.4%. While companies of all sizes responded, 76% have fewer than 50 employees. All eight counties in the region were represented in the results, and companies from 19 of the 20 industry sectors responded.
Selected year over year survey findings include:
-13.4% of supervisory positions were held by non-White workers, compared to 9.8% in 2016
-7% of top-level leadership positions were held by non-White workers, compared to 4.6% in 2016
-22% of respondents stated they have a written diversity statement, compared to 14% from last year
-16% of respondents reported having staff dedicated to diversity and inclusion efforts, compared to 10% last year
“While we are happy to see many results from the survey this year that more closely match the actual demographics for the region, there is still more work for us to do as a region to embrace diversity and inclusion as a means of economic development,” added Gene Dalhoff, MadREP vice president of education. “MadREP’s Leadership & Diversity workgroup is studying ways to accomplish that.”
The survey was conducted by the Madison Region’s four technical colleges; Blackhawk Technical College, Madison College, Moraine Park Technical College and Southwest Tech. Visit www.madisonregion.org/about/research-and-reports/ to access the survey overview and complete report.
