Microsoft’s Latest DEI Data Shows Positive Change Over The Past Five Years

The representation of women and racial and ethnic minority groups has increased at all levels over the past five years at Microsoft, a report found.

Microsoft has released its fifth annual Diversity and Inclusion Report.

Microsoft described itself as more diverse today than ever before, stating that the data clearly shows they are driving a positive change.

“Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is essential to Microsoft’s mission,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Microsoft, in the report.

“We remain focused on increasing representation and strengthening our culture of inclusion in order to better serve our customers.”

Improved representation

The report found that the representation of women and most racial and ethnic minority groups – Asian, Black and African American, Hispanic and Latinx, and multiracial employees – has increased over the past five years.

For Black and African American workers, there has been a 0.1 percentage point representation increase year-over-year and a 0.3 percentage point increase for Hispanic and Latinx workers.

The report additionally found that there were improvements in representation at leadership levels.

The number of Black and African American Directors, Partners, and Executives exceeded the 2025 Racial Equity Initiative commitment by 7.8% in 2023.

Similarly, the number of Hispanic and Latinx Directors, Partners, and Executives has increased to 74.8% of Microsoft’s 2025 commitment, up from 57.6% in 2022.

Narrowing Pay Gap

Inside the US, all employees from racial and ethnic minority groups who are rewards-eligible had similar total pay to their white counterparts with the same job title and level and considering tenure – at $1.007 for every $1.000.

There were racial differences in mean unadjusted pay, however, reflecting differences in factors like job title, level, and tenure.

For employees in the US who are eligible for rewards, the September 2023 median unadjusted pay analysis shows that the total pay for Asian employees is 94.7% for white employees.

For Black and African employees, it’s 78.2%, and for Hispanic and Latinx employees, it’s 83.5% of the total pay for white employees.

Can AI Help DEI Progress?

According to Forbes, Microsoft is investing significantly in Generative AI and is rolling out its smart agent, Coplot, to support aspects of the business, including Human Resources.

However, Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer at Microsoft, said that although there is a ton of enthusiasm about how AI can inform DEI strategies, she emphasized that AI is not a silver bullet for diversity and inclusion challenges.

She stated that it requires building trust with employees, partnering with employee communities, listening to their feedback, and responding to their needs.