Pay equity and workforce representation in telecom are improving, but the numbers still show a clear mismatch between goals and results. In 2023, GSMA data across Asia Pacific put women’s wages at 84.3% of men’s wages, while women held only 24.6% of telecom engineering roles in emerging markets. These gaps affect pay, hiring, and promotion pipelines that shape who influences telecom products and decisions.
Key Takeaways
- AT&T gender pay gap narrowed to 98.2 cents on the dollar for women in 2023.
- In 2022, women comprised 26.4% of the telecom workforce across major U.S. carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, compared to 47% in the overall U.S. labor force.
- Verizon employee engagement score for diverse groups rose 12% in 2023 inclusion surveys.
- AT&T's 2023 executive team included 25% women and 30% people of color in C-suite roles.
- In 2023, Black or African American employees made up 12.3% of AT&T's U.S. workforce, exceeding the national average of 9.1%.
Diverse teams in telecom are still underrepresented, highlighting urgent needs for inclusive hiring and leadership.
Related reading
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01 · Category
Equity and Pay Gap18 stats
01
AT&T gender pay gap narrowed to 98.2 cents on the dollar for women in 2023.
02
Verizon reported a 1.5% pay equity gap for racial minorities in 2022 audits.
03
T-Mobile 2023 pay audit: Women at 99.1% parity with men in similar roles.
04
Comcast equity analysis 2023: Black employees paid 97.8% of white counterparts.
05
GSMA 2023: In Asia-Pacific telecom, women earn 84.3% of men's wages.
06
BT Group UK 2022: Ethnic pay gap at 2.1% after adjustments.
07
Deutsche Telekom 2023: Gender pay ratio 96.7% in Germany.
08
Orange 2022: Pay equity for women at 98.4% across Europe.
09
Bell Canada 2023: Indigenous pay parity achieved at 100%.
10
Vodafone 2023 global: 97.2% gender pay equity.
11
Reliance Jio 2022: Caste-based pay gaps under 1.2%.
12
Telstra 2023: Aboriginal staff pay at 99.5% parity.
13
Nokia 2022: Global pay gap for women 2.3%.
14
Ericsson 2023: Racial pay equity 98.1% in U.S.
15
MTN South Africa 2023: BEE pay compliance 99.8%.
16
Telefonica 2022: Gender pay gap 1.8% in Brazil.
17
SK Telecom 2023: Gender pay ratio 97.9%.
18
China Unicom 2022: Minority pay equity 96.5%.
Interpretation
Equity and Pay Gap Interpretation
The telecom industry's pay equity reports read like a global marathon where everyone is nearing the finish line but hasn't quite broken the tape, with Asia-Pacific still catching its breath a few miles back.
02 · Category
Gender Diversity20 stats
01
In 2022, women comprised 26.4% of the telecom workforce across major U.S. carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, compared to 47% in the overall U.S. labor force.
02
AT&T reported 28.7% female employees in technical roles in 2023, an increase of 2.1% from 2021.
03
Verizon's 2023 DEI report showed women at 34.2% of the total workforce, with 19.5% in STEM positions.
04
T-Mobile's workforce gender breakdown in 2022 indicated 39.1% women overall, but only 22.8% in engineering.
05
Globally, GSMA's 2023 Mobile Gender Gap Report noted women as 24.6% of telecom engineers in emerging markets.
06
Comcast in 2023 had 41.3% women employees, with a focus on increasing female representation in broadband services to 30.2%.
07
In the UK telecom sector, women held 27.9% of roles in BT Group in 2022, per their annual report.
08
Deutsche Telekom reported 32.1% female workforce in 2023, with targeted hiring yielding 35.4% in entry-level positions.
09
Orange SA's 2022 diversity stats showed 38.7% women, emphasizing 25.6% in digital and IT roles.
10
In Canada, Bell Canada's 2023 report indicated 35.2% women, up 3.4% since 2019.
11
Sprint (now T-Mobile) legacy data from 2021 showed 29.8% women in management tracks.
12
Vodafone's global 2023 report: 34.5% women employees, 28.9% in tech functions.
13
In India, Reliance Jio had 18.2% female engineers in 2022 per industry analysis.
14
Telstra Australia reported 31.7% women in 2023, with 24.1% in leadership pipelines.
15
Nokia's 2022 workforce: 23.4% women in R&D roles globally.
16
Ericsson Sweden 2023: 28.6% female staff, targeting 35% by 2025.
17
Huawei's 2022 report claimed 25.3% women in telecom equipment R&D.
18
In Brazil, Vivo (Telefonica) had 37.2% women in 2023 operations roles.
19
SK Telecom Korea 2022: 29.1% female workforce in 5G development.
20
China Mobile 2023: 22.7% women in technical telecom services.
Interpretation
Gender Diversity Interpretation
While the telecom industry buzzes with constant innovation, its persistent, global shortage of women, particularly in technical roles, suggests it's still struggling to connect half the population to its own future.
03 · Category
Inclusion and Retention18 stats
01
Verizon employee engagement score for diverse groups rose 12% in 2023 inclusion surveys.
02
AT&T retention rate for women: 92.4% in 2023 vs 89.1% in 2020.
03
T-Mobile 2023: Diverse employee retention 94.7%, with inclusion training impact.
04
Comcast 2023 ERGs boosted minority retention by 8.2%.
05
GSMA 2023: Telecom inclusion index in Latin America at 76.4/100.
06
BT Group 2022: Inclusion score 82.3%, retention for minorities 91.2%.
07
Deutsche Telekom 2023: Employee net promoter score for DEI at 78.9.
08
Orange 2022: Retention of women in leadership 93.1%.
09
Bell Canada 2023: Inclusion survey 85.6% positive for diverse groups.
10
Vodafone 2023: Global retention rate 90.4% for underrepresented groups.
11
Reliance Jio 2022: ERG participation led to 7.5% retention lift.
12
Telstra 2023: Indigenous retention 88.7% post-mentoring.
13
Nokia 2022: Inclusion index 79.2, retention up 5.4%.
14
Ericsson 2023: Diverse teams retention 95.1%.
15
MTN 2023: Black employee engagement 84.2/100.
16
Telefonica 2022: Inclusion retention 92.3% in Spain.
17
SK Telecom 2023: Diversity satisfaction 81.7%.
18
China Mobile 2022: Minority inclusion score 76.8.
Interpretation
Inclusion and Retention Interpretation
The telecom industry is discovering that building inclusive workplaces isn't just a moral imperative but a powerful retention strategy, as these compelling statistics prove that when people feel they belong, they tend to stick around.
More related reading
04 · Category
Leadership Diversity18 stats
01
AT&T's 2023 executive team included 25% women and 30% people of color in C-suite roles.
02
Verizon C-suite 2022: 33.3% women, 22.2% Black/Hispanic combined.
03
T-Mobile board of directors 2023: 40% women, 30% diverse racially.
04
Comcast senior VP level 2023: 29.4% women, 24.1% underrepresented minorities.
05
GSMA leadership survey 2023: Only 18.2% women CEOs in African telecom firms.
06
BT Group board 2022: 44.4% women, 22.2% ethnic minorities.
07
Deutsche Telekom executive board 2023: 30% women, 10% non-German ethnic.
08
Orange SA leadership 2022: 35.7% women in top 100 roles.
09
Bell Canada exec team 2023: 28.6% women, 14.3% visible minorities.
10
Vodafone board 2023: 41.7% women globally, 25% diverse ethnicity.
11
Reliance Jio leadership 2022: 12.5% women in senior management.
12
Telstra execs 2023: 37.5% women, 12.5% Indigenous/allied.
13
Nokia board 2022: 30% women, 20% non-European.
14
Ericsson management 2023: 25.4% women, 15.2% ethnic minorities.
15
MTN Group board 2023: 40% Black women in South Africa ops.
16
Telefonica execs 2022: 28.3% women, 18.7% Latin American diverse.
17
SK Telecom C-level 2023: 20.1% women.
18
China Mobile senior mgmt 2022: 8.4% ethnic minorities.
Interpretation
Leadership Diversity Interpretation
The telecom industry is trying to connect with diversity, but judging by these statistics, the call is still frequently dropping.
05 · Category
Racial and Ethnic Diversity18 stats
01
In 2023, Black or African American employees made up 12.3% of AT&T's U.S. workforce, exceeding the national average of 9.1%.
02
Verizon's 2022 DEI data: Hispanic/Latino at 14.7% of total employees, up from 13.2% in 2019.
03
T-Mobile reported 18.5% Black employees and 15.2% Hispanic in 2023 U.S. operations.
04
Comcast 2023: Asian employees 10.4%, Black 13.8%, Hispanic 19.6% of workforce.
05
GSMA 2023 report on Africa: Black/African representation at 92.1% in local telecom firms, but leadership at 15.4%.
06
BT Group UK 2022: Ethnic minorities 18.3% of workforce, with Black at 4.2%.
07
Deutsche Telekom Germany 2023: Non-white employees 12.7%, Turkish origin 5.1%.
08
Orange France 2022: North African descent 8.9% of staff.
09
Bell Canada 2023: Indigenous employees 2.1%, visible minorities 24.3%.
10
Vodafone global 2023: In Europe, ethnic minorities 16.4%; in India, various castes underrepresented.
11
Reliance Jio India 2022: Scheduled Castes 14.2%, Scheduled Tribes 3.7%.
12
Telstra Australia 2023: Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander 1.8% of workforce.
13
Nokia global 2022: In U.S., Black 7.2%, Hispanic 9.8%.
14
Ericsson 2023 U.S.: Asian 28.4%, Black 6.9%.
15
In South Africa, MTN Group's Black ownership reached 28.5% via BEE compliance in 2023.
16
Vivo Brazil 2022: Afro-Brazilian employees 11.3%.
17
SK Telecom 2023: Ethnic minorities (non-Korean) 4.2%.
18
China Unicom 2022: Ethnic minorities 7.8% (Uyghur, Tibetan etc.).
Interpretation
Racial and Ethnic Diversity Interpretation
The telecom industry's global DEI report card shows we're finally starting to get the 'diversity' part right in many places, though the 'equity and inclusion' grade, especially for leadership roles, remains frustratingly incomplete.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Elena Vasquez. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Telecom Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-telecom-industry-statistics
MLA
Elena Vasquez. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Telecom Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-telecom-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Elena Vasquez. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Telecom Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-telecom-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level