IBM leads corporate effort to expand Black workforce presence

IBM is taking a leadership role in a new initiative to help hire and promote 1 million Black workers into higher-paying jobs over the next 10 years.

According to a Bloomberg report, the Armonk company is teaming with Merck & Co. to establish a nationwide hiring and training network created by OneTen, a coalition of major U.S. employers.

The initiative will allow companies to focus on career development, job postings and recruitment as part of an effort to bring Black workers without four-year degrees into higher-skilled jobs with an annual average pay of $50,000. The 50-member OneTen now has about 850,000 Black workers signed up for the initiative, which will consist of virtual and in-person programming.