AGA: US gaming industry making “impactful” diversity strides

More than six in 10 (61%) of US gaming industry employees come from ethnic minority groups, according to the latest industry data released by the American Gaming Association (AGA).

Publishing its annual benchmarking report, in which the trade body assesses industry performance against ESG targets, AGA revealed that the percentage figure for the gaming industry is 9% greater than that of the wider US hospitality industry at 52%.

According to the data, only 42% of the total US workforce come from ethnic minority groups.

Of the 61% within the gaming industry workforce, 23% are Hispanic and 19% are black and/or African-American, with both metrics higher than at a broader national workforce level.

Drilling down further, 60% of gaming operator employees come from minority groups, a figure up 20% from 2011 and higher than both the hospitality sector and US national workforce overall.

At a supplier level, 45% of gaming manufacturer employees are from ethnic minority groups, compared to just 38% of the broader electronic manufacturing industry.

Across job levels, 45% of first/mid-level managers in the gaming industry are from ethnic minorities, falling slightly to 43% for professional level individuals; however, both metrics are between 10-12 points above both national and hospitality industry benchmarks.

At a gender level, 48% of individuals employed in the US gaming industry are female, a figure in line with wider US workforce numbers, however, female representation decreases at more senior level roles.

AGA president and CEO Bill Miller highlighted the new data as an important marker for the sector, coming a year after the trade body stated its own ESG core pillars which include advancing sustainability, strengthening diversity and inclusion, investing in communities, and leading responsibly.

“Consumers, policymakers, and investors are raising their expectations for all businesses on how they contribute to society beyond the bottom line,” Miller said.

“Encompassing data from across commercial, tribal, and manufacturing gaming verticals, the survey both highlights our industry’s leadership on diversity while presenting areas for continued progress.”

Miller continued: “As today’s report shows, our industry has made impactful strides toward becoming more diverse, but there is more work to do.

“AGA will use this research to engage our membership on how we can collectively advance DEI in gaming in the months and years to come,” he added.