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Apple's top management largely white and male, but overall workforce trending toward diversity

Apple on Monday quietly released employment diversity statistics current as of July 2016, revealing high level executive and management positions are overwhelmingly filled by white males.

The results outlined in Apple's EEO-1 Federal Employer Information Report (PDF link) are largely unchanged from last year despite a very public push for diversity in the workplace. It appears progress is being made below the company's upper echelons, however.

Specifically, 73 of Apple's top 107 executives and senior officials and management are white males. Only 20 females, 15 of whom are white, fill those seats. Last year only one Hispanic or latino employee — one man — was among Apple's top ranks, a number that increased to two people this year. Another 14 senior staff members are Asian, up from 12 in 2015, while 3 are black or African American.

In the tier below, first and middle manager positions are likewise dominated by white males. Some 48 percent are white men, while another 18 percent are white women. Here, minorities have a modicum of representation, with 23 percent reported as Asian, 7 percent Hispanic or Latino, 4 percent black and 1 percent listed as multiracial. Pacific Islanders represent under 1 percent of the category.

Apple is making gains toward a more ethnically diverse workforce, however. Over the past year, net Asian hires were up by 2,455 people, while the number of Hispanic and black employees ticked up 951 and 783, respectively. The company added 226 white employees over the same period.

As it has done with previous EEO-1 reports, Apple notes statistics relayed through the required government form are inferior to its own internal metrics on diversity.

"The EEO-1 has not kept pace with changes in industry or the American workforce over the past half century. We believe the information we report elsewhere on this site is a far more accurate reflection of our progress toward diversity."

Like many Silicon Valley tech companies, Apple is facing external pressure to bring more diversity to its team, especially top-level leadership positions. To that end, the company launched an "Inclusion & Diversity" campaign lauded by top executives, the most vocal being CEO Tim Cook.

Apple also curates employment statistics for public viewing, as well as stories of select staff members, on a dedicated webpage.

Currently posted metrics show slight improvements in hiring practices as part of an overall upward trend toward a more diverse workforce. Apple says 37 percent of new global hires are female, while women account for 32 percent of the company's existing employees. In the U.S., underrepresented minorities account for 27 percent of new hires.

Further, Apple this past year identified and closed pay gaps to reach pay equity between men and women in the U.S. The company is currently analyzing salaries, bonuses and annual stock grants of employees worldwide, promising to fix any gaps that are discovered.