Black professionals will be hired in several areas, with a focus on technology, by March 2022
In Brazil, black people form the majority (55%) of the workforce, but only the minority (30%) occupy managerial positions, reveals the research Social Inequalities by Color or Race in Brazil, carried out by IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) in 2018. Furthermore, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the unemployment rate among black workers was 59% higher than among white workers, according to the institute.
To change this reality and promote real inclusion in the job market, in November, iFood launched the iFood Includes Black People program, which will hire 300 black professionals from across the country for various positions in different areas of the company by March 2022 .
“We make a public commitment to be agents of urgent change that promotes diversity and inclusion and combats an unequal society. Embracing 300 black Brazilians who are in the market dreaming of the opportunity to feed the future of the world, represents a lot for us and is part of this inclusion movement that we want to promote more and more”, says Gustavo Vitti, Vice-President of People and iFood sustainability.
According to Viviane Santos, leader of Pólen Orgulho Negro, an affinity group for Race and Ethnicity at iFood, the program has enormous potential for social transformation. “It is an action to repair a historical scenario in which black people were deprived of these opportunities”, comments Viviane Santos, leader of Pólen Orgulho Negro, an affinity group for Race and Ethnicity at iFood. “As part of a social ecosystem, companies have a responsibility to foster this discussion.”
The initiative is aligned with the company's goal of having 40% of black people among its employees and 30% in leadership positions until 2023. “This is a movement that iFood has been doing for some time. After carrying out an internal census, we understood that we needed to accelerate to have more black people and achieve this objective. The program was born from these discussions, and it is a work built by several hands”, says Viviane.
Diversity and Inclusion
iFood Includes Black People was created by several iFood teams, with the collaboration of black people from the People Attraction, Institutional Communication, Branding teams and the leadership of the black people affinity group, Black Pride. The company also had a partnership with external consultants who supported it in recruitment and selection for affirmative vacancies.
According to Viviane, in addition to the opportunities for younger professionals, the idea is to open more spaces for senior professionals with leadership potential. Registration to compete for vacancies is now open – to participate in the selection process, simply register on the site.
The new program adds to other company initiatives aimed at including black people in the market, such as Potência Tech – a platform offering free courses and scholarships for those who want to learn or specialize in technology – and Mentoring for Black People, which accelerates development through exchanges, experiences and practical training.
Global commitments
iFood is, since September 2021, signatory of the Racial Equity Promotion Pact, an initiative of the Association for the Promotion of Racial Equity supported by the UN (United Nations) so that companies can effectively combat racism, reviewing its internal culture and reformulating itself to include more black people in its jobs and in leadership positions.
The more black people the company has, the more it will attract black professionals in the future, points out Viviane. “We want to use similarity bias to our advantage. If we have more black professionals as leaders and hirers, we will have black people looking at black people, with more opportunities not only for hiring, but also for growth and development.”
