2024 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report
Every person. Every organization. Every day. Everywhere.
When I think about Microsoft’s uniquely inclusive mission, the word “every” stands out: Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. The work of diversity and inclusion starts with this one word, every. This anchors us to our massive ambition to serve all customers and consumers in transformational ways globally. We set a formidable foundation of expertise and excellence in our workforce, and embracing difference raises the bar.
This special combination is what it takes to imagine, anticipate, and innovate the solutions, services, products, and ways of working that fuel our ability to be relevant and competitive today—and in the future.
Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, Chief Diversity Officer and Corporate Vice President, Talent and Learning
Our focus on diversity and inclusion has been going on for decades
Our journey continues, and the work is ongoing
- First woman elected to Board of Directors
- First Diversity Director named
- Became one of the first Fortune 500 companies to expand anti-discrimination policy and benefits to LGBTQIA+ employees
- US healthcare benefits extended to same-sex domestic partners
- Autism benefit & Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy included in benefits coverage
- Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) Employee Resource Group (ERG) founded
- Women and Asians ERGs founded
- LGBTQIA+ (GLEAM) ERG founded
- First Minority Student Day
- Created a full-time position dedicated to accessibility, ensuring our products, services, and channels meet accessibility standards from procurement to development
- First time scoring 100 on Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index
- HOLA (Hispanic and Latinx Organization of Leaders in Action) ERG founded
- Gender-affirming benefits offered to US employees
- Signed UN Women’s Empowerment Principles
- First time measuring employee sentiment on inclusive culture
- Began offering childcare subsidies in the US
- Began offering back-up care benefits for families globally
- Military Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) founded
- Covered taxes for same-sex domestic partner benefits for over a decade, until the US legalized same-sex marriage
- Joined Billion Dollar Roundtable and invested more than $2 billion with diverse suppliers
- Leap apprenticeship program created
- Inclusive Design approach formalized
- Neurodiversity Hiring Program developed
- Disability ERG founded
- Began reporting pay equity data for the US
- Added a performance-based component around culture and organizational leadership, which includes progress on D&I representation, to the compensation of every member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Global minimum parental and family caregiver leave rolled out
- Annual performance and development goal related to Diversity & Inclusion (D&I Core Priority) introduced for all employees
- Developed the Allyship at Microsoft learning pathway, a program grounded in neuroscience and growth mindset, and designed to deepen awareness and meet people wherever they are on their respective allyship journey
- Began expanding reporting of pay equity data outside the US
- First comprehensive Global Diversity & Inclusion Report published in 2019
- Families, Military, and Indigenous ERGs founded
- Racial Equity Initiative announced
- Global gender-affirming benefits offered to all employees
- Hosted Include 2021, a free global digital event with 75,000 employees, partners, customers, and ecosystem members, to engage and learn from external experts on diversity, inclusion, identity, global perspectives, racial injustice, and more
- Self-expression and pronouns in Microsoft 365
- Began reporting median unadjusted pay analysis (pay gap) data
- Further expanded pay disclosures to reflect total pay and employees globally
- Published Microsoft’s 2023 Global Diversity & Inclusion Report, our fifth report and 10th year publishing our workforce demographic data externally
- Accelerated our companywide commitment to D&I through the all-company ERG Engage event
- Invested in ERG leadership development
- Furthered our investment in D&I skills development by expanding our capability-building portfolio
- Integrated D&I, Talent Management, and Learning and Skilling to ensure access to career opportunities and culture of inclusion that enable every employee to thrive
Achieving a mission as bold as ours starts with culture
At Microsoft, a culture of inclusion invites people to contribute ideas, find innovative solutions to the most complex problems, and do their best work. Below are highlights from our core Microsoft workforce.
Demonstrating allyship
Diverse and inclusive
Our most global and transparent report
Below we share representation highlights for our core Microsoft business, excluding minimally integrated companies.
31.6%
Global women
Representation of women increased 0.4 percentage points year over year.
6.6%
US Black and African American
Representation of Black and African American employees decreased 0.1 percentage point year over year.
8.0%
US Hispanic and Latinx
Representation of Hispanic and Latinx employees increased 0.1 percentage point year over year.
27.2%
Global women in technical roles
Representation of global women in technical roles increased by 0.5 percentage points year over year.
28.9%
US datacenter population
The global population of datacenter employees grew 23.9% year over year and has more than tripled since 2020.
9.0%
US Disability
Representation of employees who self-identified as having a disability increased 0.2 percentage points year over year.
4.8%
US Military
Representation of employees who self-identified as having served in the US Armed Forces or as having Protected Veteran status remained unchanged year over year.
0.6%
US Indigenous
For the first time, we’re sharing details on Indigenous employees. The percentage of employees who self-identified as Indigenous remain unchanged year over year.
Explore more data from the report
As one of the most transparent companies of our size, we strive to expand the data and stories we share each year because we know others look to us for both accountability and context. In addition to adding global data around disability, military, and Indigenous representation for the first time this year, we also share details on multiracial employees, Asian representation, and additional aspects of Self-ID.
Innovating and delivering aligned to our mission
While data and insights are essential for measuring progress and informing our strategy, they must be paired with a deep understanding of the human experiences behind the numbers. Explore the people, perspectives, partnerships, and products that illuminate and contextualize our D&I work, and learn more about how we move from aspiration, to accountability, to action.
People
“As leaders, one of our core accountabilities is to ensure that we create and sustain a thriving organization for today and tomorrow. We do this by empowering our teams to pursue bold ambitions.”
—Priya Priyadarshini, Vice President of Global Talent Management
Cultivating careers that enable individuals to thrive
Leap NFL Legends Cohort
Military Software and Systems Academy
“One of the most important things we can do as leaders is nurture and empower the next generation of leaders.”
—Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice President Worldwide Energy and Resources Industry, Sponsorship program champion, and BAM ERG Executive Sponsor
Perspectives
“Diversity and inclusion is a crucial part of how we do business. It is a foundation and enabler of wellbeing, productivity, and good performance.”
—Peter Kuna, Chief of Staff, Western Europe, and D&I Executive Sponsor
One Microsoft D&I Plan
ERG Engage
Companywide priorities and expectations
Pay equity and median unadjusted pay analyses
We are sharing results from both analyses as part of our continued commitment to pay equity, representation, and transparency.
$1.0
earned for every $1.0 earned by comparison group
As of September 2024, our pay equity analysis shows we continue to have pay equity for each of the comparisons shared.
“Diversity and inclusion are key to our culture, mission, and business at Microsoft. Disclosing both our pay equity and median unadjusted pay analyses holds us accountable to our commitments. While each analysis on its own provides important insights, combined they are even more powerful—as long as we have pay equity, any pay gaps indicate opportunities to increase representation at more senior levels.”
—Mike Cyran, Vice President of Global Compensation, Performance, and International Benefits
Partnerships
“Supplier diversity extends beyond mere metrics; it’s about cultivating enduring partnerships that enable everyone to succeed. It’s essential to nurturing mutual success for Microsoft, our suppliers, and the diverse communities we represent.”
—Glenda Dengah, Director of Supplier Diversity
Ecosystem support
Digital skilling
Helping preserve history
Global nonprofit leaders
Products
“As we reflect on our ongoing commitment at Microsoft, our goal remains to cultivate a culture of accessibility and integrate it into all aspects of our work, always guided by the insights of people with disabilities. This objective extends beyond Microsoft; it addresses a societal need and a fundamental right. Our efforts are crucial for the over 1.3 billion people with disabilities worldwide.”
—Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer
Solve for one, extend to many
Gaming for everyone
Inclusion from concept to creation
We listen to feedback and apply what we learn to continue to grow and improve
We invest in diversity and inclusion in service of our culture, mission, values, and business and customer needs—never to garner awards.
However, we recognize the value of third-party assessments, which can offer an objective view of how we’re measuring up to our commitments.
Best learning program
Best places to work
World’s top companies for women
Worlds best companies of 2024
With each report, we continue our mission
to intentionally include everyone.
Access previous D&I reports
For more about Microsoft’s commitments and performance, please visit Reports Hub.
Previous D&I insights blogs
Access country or region pay reports
Additional pay reports published by Microsoft.
Responsibility and accountability require action
Ever since 1989, Microsoft has been promoting LGBTQIA+ inclusion. This includes offering benefits for same-sex domestic partnerships in 1993, supporting marriage equality early on, and advocating for inclusion of all types of families.
Responsibility and accountability require action
We have earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Corporate Equality Index since 2005. Our commitment to making an impact for LGBTQIA+ communities goes beyond Microsoft, extending into the communities where our employees and customers live and work.
Giving is central to our culture at Microsoft and aligns with our mission, and employees’ voluntary contributions of time, money, and skills have provided vital support for nonprofits. In fiscal year 2024, we donated over $1 million (including company match) to 220 nonprofits supporting LGBTQIA+ communities worldwide, totaling over $16.3 million in all-time donations to these organizations.
Meeting the challenge and responsibility for military members and their spouses
10 years ago, we created the Microsoft Software and Systems Academy (MSSA) program to connect the dots between the shortage of technical talent and the abundance of under-employed military talent.
A commitment to lasting change
In June 2020, we outlined a series of multiyear commitments designed to further address the racial injustice and inequality experienced by racial and ethnic minorities in the US, including Black and African American communities.
Our Racial Equity Initiative focuses on three pillars, each containing actions and progress we aim to make across a five-year period. We remain committed to addressing racial injustice and inequity and to helping improve lived experiences at Microsoft, in employees’ communities, and beyond.
Strengthening our communities: Using data, technology, and partnerships to help improve the lives of Black and African American people in the US, including our employees and their communities.
Engaging our ecosystem: Using our balance sheet and relationships with suppliers and partners to foster societal change and create new opportunities.
Increasing representation and strengthening inclusion: Building on our momentum, adding a $150 million investment to strengthen inclusion and double the number of Black, African American, Hispanic, and Latinx leaders in the US by 2025.
Read more about our commitments and updates on our progress across the Racial Equity Initiative pillars.
Tailored learning that drives inclusion
In 2021, we introduced personalized D&I Learning Pathways, offering tailored tracks on core D&I concepts and identity-based topics like race and gender. These pathways provide essential knowledge, practical skills, and opportunities for discussion through Microsoft forums. Since then, we’ve continued to expand our content, adding new pathways on allyship and religion and faith.
More than 20,000 Microsoft learners actively engaged with Learning Pathways, and have had overwhelming positive feedback highlighting the transformative impact of this initiative.
We’ve harnessed cutting-edge technology to launch immersive simulations, allowing employees to practice crucial D&I skills such as recognizing and addressing bias, responding to microaggressions, and demonstrating effective allyship. These simulated workplace scenarios provide real-time feedback, driving deeper learning and lasting behavior change. By focusing on essential topics like creating inclusive team environments, our D&I simulations empower employees to confidently apply these skills in their daily work, fostering a more inclusive and equitable culture across Microsoft.
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