Black Americans see financial constraints, lack of STEM education, and limited mentorship as the greatest barriers to pursuing and succeeding in digital and IT careers, a report from Jobs for the Future finds.

Based on a survey conducted by AudienceNet of more than 1,000 Black Americans, the report, Increasing Opportunities for Black Learners and Workers Within Digital & IT Careers (43 pages, PDF), found that 60 percent of survey respondents not currently working in the technology sector said they would “definitely” (18 percent) or “maybe (42 percent) consider switching to a career in digital and IT in the next five years. Reasons for not working in the sector included not knowing where to start (55 percent), feeling they don’t have the right skills (52 percent), financial reasons (51 percent), not knowing people they could talk to who are in the sector (44 percent), and not feeling like they would fit in (38 percent), with women more likely than men to cite those reasons.

According to the report, 47 percent of survey respondents had obtained a postsecondary credential, 41 percent of them in a STEM subject and 27 percent in computer science; of those currently pursuing a postsecondary credential, 30 percent were studying computer science; and another 27 percent were planning to do so. Nearly half (45 percent) of those who hadn’t studied a STEM subject said they’d considered it, but 21 percent of them thought it would be too difficult, 21 percent didn’t know enough about it, and 14 percent felt it would be too expensive. In addition, Black millennials and Gen Zers were more likely (24 percent and 29 percent) to view technology careers as exclusive than Gen Xers and boomers (17 percent and 15 percent), while women were more likely than men to see a career in the tech field as intimidating (21 percent vs. 14 percent).

While 57 percent of respondents currently in digital and IT positions reported high job satisfaction (52 percent of women and 62 percent of men), they also faced challenges such as consistently having to work long hours (79 percent), not earning as much as they think they should (74 percent) or less than others doing the same job (70 percent), and not advancing in their careers to levels they think they should be at (71 percent). The survey also found that the 45 percent of surveyed Black tech workers who had consulted mentors found both formal and informal mentors (89 percent and 78 percent) “extremely” or “very” useful in achieving their career goals.

According to survey respondents, effective solutions for persuading more Black Americans to pursue a career in digital and IT included more affordable or accessible short-term training programs, more affordable postsecondary education, and access to paid internships and apprenticeships.

“In an increasingly tech-driven economy, careers in IT and tech can offer pathways to economic advancement and prosperity. However, too many Black Americans—particularly Black women—face systemic barriers that leave the economic opportunity of the tech industry out of reach,” said Michael Collins, a vice president at JFF who leads the organization's racial economic equity initiative. “We need to better understand these barriers, which begin in K-12 education and higher education only to be reinforced in the workplace.”

(Photo credit: Getty Images/JLco Julia Amaral)