Apple, Amazon refuse to release federal diversity data

Apple and Amazon are refusing to release federal data on the diversity of their workforces. American companies collect and report information about their workforces to the federal government each year in a form called the EEO-1.

The EEO-1 is a standard form that breaks down race, ethnicity and gender of workforces by job classification. Facebook, eBay, Google, Yahoo and LinkedIn are among the technology companies that have made public their EEO-1s. But other companies chose instead to provide less detailed broad strokes information such as the percentage of tech workers or company managers who are women or minorities. Chief among the companies that decided not to disclose their EEO-1s are Apple and Amazon. Technology companies frequently complain the job classifications in the EEO-1 don't match up with jobs in their industry. But until the high-tech industry develops better standards to measure diversity, the EEO-1 is the best way to judge what kind of progress companies -- and the industry -- are making, says Rosalind Hudnell, Intel's vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer.