(JNS)The U.S. State Department’s diversity and inclusion office released its first-ever demographic baseline report on June 23, drawing on two years of data. 

The report, which is to be annual, per a release, “provides a bureau-by-bureau description of the department’s workforce data—broken down by race, ethnicity, sex, disability, grade/rank and job series/skill codes.”

“The data allows the department to assess whether its workforce reflects the rich diversity of our nation,” the department stated. “The data is also used to examine if there are potential anomalies that may be indicative of a barrier to equal employment opportunity.”

JNS asked the State Department what its data suggests about religious diversity in its workforce, and particularly about the controversial question of Jews and race. “This is a great question,” Robb Dooling, public diplomacy detailee at the department’s diversity and inclusion office, told JNS.

“As of now, the current data only covers race, ethnicity, sex, disability, and those then broken down by grade/rank, and job series/skill codes,” he said. “We focused initial data studies on these categories, because they are the categories with statutorily-mandated reporting requirements per the 1964 Civil Rights Act.”

“We are looking for ways to expand future data studies beyond that but face human as well as financial resource constraints,” he added.

PHOTO CREDIT: Carol M. Highsmith/Library of Congress