Soaring Higher,
Together

2022 Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Report

Protecting, connecting and exploring our world requires a diverse team that embraces challenges to advance our mission. Over the past year, we’ve made progress on our diversity and inclusion commitments and have seen firsthand how inclusion makes us better. We remain steadfast in our resolve, for we have found that when we support each other, when we seek diverse perspectives and listen with curiosity, we achieve the unimaginable.

As we celebrate the progress we’ve made, we also recognize there’s so much more to do. That’s why we’re embedding three simple habits — Seek, Speak & Listen — into everything we do. These habits help us create a culture of trust, care, and connection in which teammates encourage each other’s ideas, seek feedback, and listen to learn. This year we’re reinforcing these habits by adding a performance metric to the 2022 Boeing annual incentive approach for some of our largest plans that is designed to reward open and equitable talent selections. We’ve set enterprise-wide targets to ensure at least 90% of our manager and executive interview slates are diverse, and that we reduce the percentage of direct placements for all manager and executive jobs. These targets incentivize transparency and equal opportunity — the foundations of a healthy, sustainable culture.

To drive change for our company and our communities, we invite you — our current and future team members, customers, suppliers and partners — to join us. Ask questions, share insights, and collaborate online by using the hashtag #SeekSpeakListen. If there's one thing we've learned, it’s that we all get better when we work together.”

Sara Bowen

Sara Bowen
Vice President, Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Progress is the only option, and Boeing is driving it by listening to teammates at all levels, all races and genders to outline a path forward for combating racism, advancing equity and building a culture of inclusion, together.”

Paris Forest

Paris Forest
Information Technology; and co-chair, Racial Equity Task Force

Who we are

With roughly 142,000 team members across the United States and in more than 65 countries, we remain committed to recruiting, supporting and developing diverse talent. Compared to last year, representation has increased overall for women and racial and ethnic minorities. For each quarter in 2021, exit rates for women, men, and teammates of all races were within 1 point of each other, an improvement compared to 2020. We’re encouraged by these indicators of progress, especially given 2021 has been dubbed “The Great Resignation,” during which tens of millions of workers left their jobs, with women leaving at greater rates than men.

Download GEDI strategy pdf

Women’s representation in our workforce increased to 23.2% in the United States and 24.6% internationally, both because of hiring efforts and stronger retention. In 2021, women left the company at a lower rate than men for the first time in decades. Although our gender representation is on par with the aerospace and defense industry, we’re accelerating our investments in the early science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) pipeline to help strengthen diverse representation. In 2021, Boeing engaged with an estimated 2.7 million young women and girls through various STEM programs.

Women

Men

Undisclosed

U.S. Overall

23.2%Women

International Overall

24.6%Women

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Women

Men

Undisclosed

U.S. Overall

22.9%Women

International Overall

24.3%Women

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Women of Color

U.S. Overall 9.1%

Executive Level 8.4%

We’re proud of our diverse women leaders and the innovation they bring to Boeing. Women of color are more represented overall and in the executive levels compared with last year, though we know there’s still much work to do. Leanne Caret, executive vice president and senior advisor, and executive champion of the Boeing Women Inspiring Leadership (BWIL) Business Resource Group, has held Executive Women of Color Connect Circles to support and champion Boeing’s most senior women of color since 2016. Efforts such as this help foster connection and sponsorship, enabling Boeing to hire and retain more women of color.

In our U.S. workforce, overall racial and ethnic minority representation increased to 32.7%, 3 points above average for the aerospace and defense industry. In 2021, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 42.5% of our U.S. hires, compared with 37.2% in 2020. Our racial equity aspirations, supported by the tangible efforts of our Racial Equity Task Force, Business Resource Groups and Inclusion Ambassadors continue to inform our efforts, including the enterprise rollout of bias mitigation training and guidance on inclusive interview teams. In 2021 we provided $3.4 million in grants to support historically Black colleges and universities through scholarships, student programs, curriculum, Thurgood Marshall College Fund programs, and more. Altogether since 2020, we’ve invested $30 million in organizations focused on racial equity and social justice.

Pacific Islander

Native American

2 or more races

Black

Hispanic/Latino/a/x

Asian

White

U.S. Overall

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Additional Races**

Pacific Islander

Native American

2 or more races

Black

Hispanic/Latino/a/x

Asian

White

U.S. Overall

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Veterans comprise 14.6% of our total workforce. Veteran representation is above industry standard in the majority of our business units, such as Boeing Global Services, which is nearly 11 points above comparable aerospace businesses. In 2021, 18% of our hires were veterans, and we aim to continue growing that number. We’re proud partners of the Department of Defense SkillBridge program, through which we expect to train and hire hundreds of military veterans. We also recently expanded the U.S. military pay differential for reservists when they are on temporary special military duty, and in 2021 we donated $13 million to organizations that support veterans and their families. Our strategy is not just about hiring veterans, it is also about supporting them and their families so they can enjoy enduring careers with Boeing.

Veterans

Others

U.S. Overall

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Veterans

Others

U.S. Overall

U.S. Boeing Commercial Airplanes

U.S. Boeing Defense, Space and Security

U.S. Boeing Global Services

Our Seek, Speak & Listen habits have helped raise awareness about what it means to have a disability – including everything from hearing loss to diabetes to cancer, depression, and more. As a result, the self-identification participation rate for disabilities doubled from the previous year to 28%. We will continue educating ourselves and ensuring that teammates of all abilities feel welcome and able to bring their whole selves to work. With expanded programs to hire more neurodiverse talent in 2022, including our Autism at Work program, efforts to increase accessibility on our commercial airplanes and in our workplaces, and centralized funding for accommodations, we continue to make Boeing better, stronger and more innovative.

In 2021, 28% of eligible employees participated in voluntary self-ID, with 6.4% of employees identifying as a person with a disability.

In 2021, our teammates shared that they wanted to self-identify in more authentic ways. Now, U.S. teammates can voluntarily and confidentially report their gender identity and sexual orientation. With this step, our goals are to educate, normalize and destigmatize concepts of gender identity and orientation. This also helps Boeing monitor progress toward full inclusion and equity across our teams, and we hope to expand self-identification options internationally in locations where it is safe for our teammates to do so. We encourage teammates to self-identify to give us a more accurate understanding of our workforce so we can better support them. Recent improvements based on teammate feedback include reinstating domestic partnership benefits, expanding our gender affirmation support, and developing a protocol for all-gender single stall restrooms.

In 2021 7.1% of eligible employees participated in the gender identity self-ID and 6.1% participated in the sexual orientation self-ID.


I am proud that the company has acknowledged it has work to do in order to achieve greater inclusivity. Increasing transparency and sharing progress toward our aspirations moves Boeing forward and creates an environment where all employees can contribute to their fullest.”

Nyle Miyamoto

Nyle Miyamoto
Airplane Level Engineering Integration; and former president, Boeing Asian and Pacific Association Business Resource Group

Progress toward our aspirations

Last year, we established a set of near-term aspirations to achieve by 2025 and introduced the Seek, Speak & Listen (SS&L) habits to build stronger teams and achieve better business outcomes, including equity, diversity and inclusion. While we’re moving in the right direction, we want and need to accelerate change. In the spirit of SS&L, we will continue seeking out and listening to all voices, amplified by our Racial Equity Task Force, Business Resource Groups and Inclusion Ambassadors, to help us make progress.

Increase the Black representation rate in the U.S. by 20%
Close representation gaps for historically underrepresented groups
Achieve parity in retention rates of all groups
Advance common understanding, shared experiences and mutual respect
Eliminate significant differences between the experiences of teammates from different backgrounds
Report diversity metrics and progress annually

By fostering a diverse and inclusive environment that embraces authenticity, transparency and trust, we are creating a culture where every individual feels seen, heard and valued.”

Jessica Kolta

Jessica Kolta
U.S. Operations & Supply Chain Quality, Boeing Global Services

Creating a culture of care

The Seek, Speak & Listen (SS&L) habits are fundamental to who we are and how we work together. Success for us is a culture of trust, care and connection. With this open and inclusive culture, a sustainable future and improved business outcomes will follow — in safety, quality, production, performance and inclusion.

By embracing these simple habits, we make better decisions, drive innovation and build connection. We seek out the places where things aren’t going well; where anxiety may be brewing, so we can learn and address issues before they become problems. We get diverse perspectives on the table and encourage every team member to speak up. We listen to each other with humility, and a commitment to act on what we learn. The habits are demonstrations of care that empower our people to be their best at work and in life. We will continue to embed the habits into our daily work, processes, systems and communications to hold ourselves accountable and keep moving forward.

Here are some stories that demonstrate the SS&L habits in action at Boeing.

Boeing Employee Mary Eugene

Demonstrating care for all teammates

March 25, 2022 in

We’ve adjusted policies and benefits, such as free tutoring, fitness subscriptions, virtual health services and coaching programs, and enhanced child and elder care benefits.

Read Mary's Story
Boeing Employee Shay Paredes

Honoring teammates’ identities to better support them

We recognize the spectrum of identities and made changes to support those needs, such as reinstating domestic partnership benefits and expanding gender affirmation support.

Read Shay's Story
Boeing employee Avery Mueller

Destigmatizing disability and rethinking how we hire

We’ve strived to expand accessibility at work and on our commercial airplanes, and we are increasing disability hiring efforts.

Read Avery's Story
VaSean Crews

Supporting veterans and their families

We’ve expanded benefits for reservists to help them serve while caring for their families, and we support service members transitioning to the civilian workforce.

Read VaSean's Story
Elliott Russell

Expanding opportunities for the next generation of leaders

We’re broadening access to learning, development and opportunities for advancement for teammates around the globe.

Read Elliott's Story
Boeing ecosystem

Bringing our partners on our journey

We’re partnering with the entire Boeing ecosystem — suppliers, joint ventures, subsidiaries, and customers — to promote healthy, inclusive communities all around the world.

Read Supplier Story

I’m a 30-year military veteran who came to Boeing 25 years ago, not naturally inclined to diversity and inclusion efforts. I was skeptical and the toughest part was being vulnerable, but I saw the importance and grew as a person. I now know that partnering with diverse teammates and outside organizations makes us better.”

Matt Slichko

Matt Slichko
Human Resources, Fabrication

Empowering communities inside and outside Boeing

Through purposeful investments guided by our teammates, employee engagement through our Business Resource Groups and external partnerships with global organizations, Boeing has supported underserved communities worldwide, promoted diversity in the STEM pipeline and advanced inclusion through our supply chain.

Community investments

We know that being a truly equitable, diverse and inclusive company requires a commitment not only to our team members but also to our communities across the globe.

$30M

to racial equity and social justice organizations since 2020

$44M

across 296 grants in 2021 for STEM and development programs

$13M

across 108 grants in support of veterans in 2021

8M

students have participated in the FUTURE U. program since 2019

Business Resource Groups

Our nine employee Business Resource Groups (BRG) are voluntary, employee-driven groups centered on particular experiences or traits, such as ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or veteran status. They help us fulfill Boeing’s commitment to advance inclusion and raise awareness and understanding of diversity.

151

BRG chapters around the world

359

virtual events for connection and learning opportunities

44%

increase in BRG membership internationally; 13,000 global members

2

Employee Resource Group of the Year Awards from external organizations

External Technical Affiliations

External Technical Affiliations (ETA) are strategic alliances with professional and technical societies and nonprofits that enable our diverse workforce to develop their technical and leadership skills and strengthen their professional networks.

400

engineering jobs offered to diverse candidates at ETA events

216

award winners; 33% increase over 2020

180

technical professional organizations supported

$1M

partnership with Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering

Diverse talent attraction

By leveraging our corporate contributions and employee community engagement programs, we’re able to help diversify the talent pipeline through internships, mentorships and other development opportunities for students of all backgrounds, especially those from communities typically underrepresented in STEM fields.

50+

underrepresented students sponsored to attend 2021 AIAA forums

65

HBCU interns hired in 2021; 266 total since 2019

$3.4M

in 2021 to scholarships and programs supporting HBCUs

2.7M

young women and girls reached in 2021 through STEM programs

Supplier diversity

We value our small and diverse supplier partners and continue to seek out and provide maximum opportunities for them. The innovation and agility they bring to our company is vital.

$4B+

spent with small businesses and diverse suppliers

$2B+

subcontracted to minority- and women-owned businesses

$400M+

subcontracted to veteran-owned businesses

330+

new diverse suppliers and small businesses onboarded

High-functioning teams see things differently and expect the unexpected. That’s why diverse and inclusive teams are so important. It takes all of us, around the world, to build a culture inclusive of everyone. Whether on the shop floor or a leader at the highest level, we must look beyond who’s right in front of us and seek out other perspectives.”

Rachel Rasmussen

Rachel Rasmussen
Facilities Analyst

Inclusion in action around the world

Real change happens when people seek, speak and listen in our factories, laboratories, conference rooms, virtual meetings and offices. Here are some examples of leading inclusively from teams across the enterprise.

Supporting Reconciliation

Canada

The first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation included a workshop exploring the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and launched the first international Boeing Employees Indigenous Network chapter.

Indigenous ceremony

Sustaining reconciliation

Australia

Partnerships and over $24 million spent with Indigenous suppliers since 2009 strengthen sovereign capability. Training for leaders and Indigenous Liaison Officers supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.

Group photo

Valuing all abilities

Saudi Arabia

Partnering with King Salman Center for Disability Research, we will deploy a disability inclusion plan and training in the Middle East and Africa to build awareness and bridge societal gaps.

King Salman Center for Disability Research

Improving workplace culture

San Antonio

We embraced SS&L habits by convening a diverse group of leaders to share feedback, provide input on site communications and processes, impact workplace culture and increase employee engagement.

Classroom interior

Increasing representation

Philadelphia

Collaboration with schools and local programs drove progress in three of five job groups that are focus areas for minority representation and in one of four job groups that are focus areas for gender representation.

Building inclusive behaviors

Puget Sound

With expanded recruitment efforts and continued investments in a high school manufacturing program for diverse students, there has been an increase in female (0.6 points) and racial/ethnic minority representation (2.2 points).

Supporting future talent

South Carolina

Diverse leaders participated in the Best Team and Talent program, with a promotion rate around 40% for participants. Partnerships and investments in schools and STEM education through the DreamLearners program continues.

Inside a classroom

Hiring and retaining women

India

Women hires increased from 28% to 34% in 2021, there was a 14-point improvement in comfort speaking up after Seek, Speak & Listen launched. 53% growth in inclusion ambassador network to build a more welcoming community. 

Women hires in India

As a global company, it’s important to understand and accept different perspectives, even if we don’t always agree. The act of reaching out to people with different backgrounds builds trust and forms strong relationships, which are essential to our continued growth. I have worked for Boeing on three different continents, and it’s reassuring to see this in action on a daily basis.”

Kuljit Ghata-Aura

Kuljit Ghata-Aura
Middle East, Turkey & Africa leader, Boeing International

A closer look: regional case studies

As part of our commitment to share where we stand and how we’ll improve, we’re spotlighting four locations where we’ve taken targeted actions to address local challenges. In each of these examples, we detail the challenge, our actions and progress to date. Barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion exist everywhere and are not limited to these specific sites. We will continue to drive progress by taking action in areas where there are opportunities for improvement.

Boeing Korea Technology & Engineering Center’s engineering workforce is ~45% women.

Challenge

Boeing Korea Technology & Engineering Center (BKTEC) leadership knew they wanted to attract a high-performing, gender-diverse workforce, so they built progressive policies into its fabric from day one.

Action

The team sought to attract the best, most diverse employees and build an open and transparent culture, where teammates of all ages and experiences would feel welcome. They obtained the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family “family-friendly workplace” designation and created a best-in-class family leave policy. These efforts—plus Boeing’s flexible work hours; professional development offerings; and dedicated focus on developing Seek, Speak & Listen habits—helped attract the best engineers and technical talent to the site.

Progress to date

BKTEC has become a talent magnet. In a society where women make up just 11% of engineers, the center’s engineering workforce is about 45% women. Across Asia, teammates report a 31-point increase in their comfort speaking up after the rollout of Seek, Speak & Listen.

Progress was made in 100% of racial and ethnic minority underutilized job groups, 43% of female underutilized job groups, and 40% of Black underutilized job groups.

Challenge

St. Louis site leadership wanted to address representation gaps, create a work environment where everyone would feel included and respected, and strengthen Boeing’s impact in the local community.

Action

St. Louis leaders encouraged teammates to be part of the action plan and more regularly engage with the Diversity Council. By highlighting representation gaps, leaders were able to focus their efforts. Regularly across the site, leadership hosts listening sessions with employees, the Diversity Council and Business Resource Groups to hear their ideas and share information. Development and retention efforts at the site were focused on increasing participation in External Technical Affiliations, creating coaching and development opportunities, and conducting exit interviews for high attrition areas. The team is partnering with civic groups that serve underrepresented groups, and it organizes targeted community outreach events, such as hosting Black Girls Do STEM students at a career day to meet Blue Angels pilots and Boeing employees. Boeing also partnered with St. Louis Community College by offering pre-employment training classes and accelerated targeted outreach efforts for the program.

Progress to date

These efforts have led to year-end progress across the site. For non-engineering skills in Boeing Defense, Space & Security, positive results were made in 67% of underutilized job groups for racial and ethnic minorities and women. For engineering, positive results were made in 70% of the underutilized job groups.

More than 80% of teammates at the ECoE received specialized training on neurodiversity, which includes autism and dyslexia.

Challenge

Leadership in Mesa, Arizona wanted to grow a workforce that is reflective of the community, expand neurodivergent talent, and ensure employees feel engaged and understand their impact on the broader business.

Action

The team in Mesa created a Workforce Stability position to be more proactive about staffing, including participation in pipeline programs and boot camps with local colleges. Site leadership scaled up two-way employee engagement, embodying the Seek, Speak & Listen habits in order to hear and respond to the needs of employees. Additionally, more than 80% of teammates at the Electrical Center of Excellence (ECoE) received specialized training on neurodiversity, which includes autism and dyslexia, in support of neurodivergent teammates. The training covers how to give and receive feedback, how to create a good working environment, rules around disclosure, accommodations and more.

Progress to date

The EcoE received certification as a Certified Neurodiverse Workplace from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. Additionally, positive employee engagement and relations have improved and progress has been made across the board in representation for women and racial and ethnic minorities.

In 2021, 49% of Boeing UK graduate hires and 47% of interns were women.

Challenge

The UK team recognized that women are typically not encouraged or attracted to pursue STEM careers and wanted to change that.

Action

The team was intentional about developing a gender-diverse pipeline and focused on attracting gender balance in graduate hires. In 2021, 49% of graduate hires and 47% of interns were women and in technician roles, which are traditionally male-dominated, 34% of the apprentice technicians were women. Boeing continues to proactively partner with six UK universities—University of Sheffield, University of Cambridge, University of Southampton, University of Bristol, Cranfield University and the University of Strathclyde—to support a broad program of skills initiatives to promote the importance of STEM subjects to students and professionals. Leaders are also focused on growing and developing female talent from within. In 2021, 32% of executive high potentials identified were women, a 7% increase from the previous year and 45% of Leadership Next (LX), Boeing’s emerging leader development program, participants selected in the UK were women.

Progress to date

Boeing signed the UK Women in Defence and Women in Aerospace & Aviation Charters and sustained focus on attracting diversity within the early careers population has resulted in higher-than-average female representation in STEM roles. 44% of Boeing UK’s STEM graduates are women, with only 13% of the overall UK STEM workforce being female, according to graduate recruitment agency, STEM Graduates.

Celebrating our Progress

At Boeing, we strive every day to be the most equitable, diverse and inclusive company. This ambitious vision requires daily commitment and effort, and we’re honored that our teammates have been recognized by external organizations for their efforts.

See Recognition

two men in masks working in factory

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