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- Black and Latino people are represented better within Walmart's upper management than Amazon.
- Black and Latino people made up 14% of US presidents and vice presidents at Walmart.
- Just 3.8% of senior leaders at Amazon are Black, and 3.9% are Latino.
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Diversity among underrepresented groups within Walmart's upper management slightly beats Amazon.
Black and Latino people accounted for 14% of US "officers" last year, the company reported. Walmart defines officers as leaders who have president or vice president in their job titles.
At Amazon, Walmart's primary competitor, Black employees made up only 3.8% of senior leaders, and Latino people accounted for 3.9% of senior management roles.
Although white people are overwhelmingly represented in senior leadership at both companies, fewer senior roles at Amazon than at Walmart – 70.7% compared with 74.5% – are held by white employees, due to higher representation of Asian employees in the e-commerce giant's upper ranks.
Asian-Americans are not underrepresented groups at most tech companies, but still report facing racial discrimination and a lack of promotions on the job.
Black employees made up 31% of the lowest-level roles at Amazon in 2020, and Latino workers accounted for 26% of the lowest-level roles. At Walmart, 39% of hourly workers are Black and Latino. White people account for 52.3% of hourly Walmart workers, but only 28.5% of Amazon's field and customer support workers.
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Walmart, the country's largest employer, had 1.5 million total workers in the United States last year. Amazon did not disclose the total number of US workers in a recent report, but said it plans to increase headcount to an estimated 1.2 million workers last year.
Amazon senior vice president Beth Galetti acknowledged the firm has "more work to do" to build a diverse and inclusive environment. The company said it will double the current number of Black directors and vice presidents in 2021, as well as increase the number of Black employees in corporate roles by 30%.
Amazon did not have additional statement to add. Walmart was not immediately available for additional comment.