2018 Report: Creating Opportunities

August 12, 2019 • 3 min read

This page shows data from our 2018 Report. For the most up-to-date goals and progress, see our 2021 Global Environmental & Social Impact Report.

We believe opportunities thrive every day in our stores. It’s inherent in our values, the benefits that we provide for our partners, and the way we work to make a difference in our communities and around the planet. It is rooted in our belief that it is possible to do good in the world and do well in business at the same time.

We hope to not just create opportunity, but equal opportunity. In March 2018 we announced we had achieved 100 percent pay equity for men and women and people of all races in the United States performing similar work along with a commitment to achieve gender pay equity in all company-owned markets globally. We announced 100 percent gender pay equity in Canada and China one year later, and have joined the Employers for Pay Equity consortium to help close the U.S. gender pay gap. We strive to make our workplace an inclusive one, supporting our DACA partners and all Dreamers and efforts to offer a second chance to Americans who have been incarcerated. We have expanded benefits for transgender partners and been recognized as a top employer for LGBTQ workplace equality.

We are investing in pathways to opportunity through employment, education and training. Since Starbucks began offering partners an online bachelor’s degree program through Arizona State University with full tuition coverage, more than 2,400 have graduated and 12,000 more are currently enrolled. There is no requirement to stay with the company: graduates are free to pursue their dreams wherever they take them.

We have made a series of hiring commitments to welcome new partners from communities that may experience barriers to employment, with goals to hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses; 10,000 refugees; and 100,000 young adults not currently working or in school.

And we’re finding new ways to engage partners in meaningful initiatives. We recently completed a six-month pilot for the Starbucks Service Fellows with 36 Starbucks store partners working 20 hours in their store each week while spending another 20 hours with a local nonprofit. These models will inform how we catalyze our partners to build enduring change in our communities.

Hiring

22,000+ Veterans and Military Spouses

Goal: Hire 25,000 veterans and military spouses by 2025
Since 2013, we’ve hired 22,500 veterans and military spouses, including 3,000 in 2018, and reached the milestone of 50 Military Family Stores.

71,000+ Opportunity Youth

Goal: Employ 100,000 Opportunity Youth by 2020
Since launching the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative coalition with other employers in 2015, Starbucks has hired 71,145 Opportunity Youth, 16- to 24-year-olds who are out of work and not in school.

1,600+ Refugees

Goal: Employ 10,000 refugees globally by 2022
We have welcomed and hired 1,672 refugees in the United States, Canada and Europe. We rely on partners to self-identify, which leads us to believe the total number of refugees hired is actually much higher.

College

2,400+ Diplomas

Goal: Graduate 25,000 partners by 2025 through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan
12,000 partners are currently enrolled in the program and 2,400 have earned a bachelor’s degree since 2014. We are also building accessibility and improving performance through our Pathways program.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

42% Senior Leaders are Women

19% Senior Leaders are People of Color

Goal: At the senior leadership level, 50% women and a 50% increase in representation by people of color over 2015
Among our senior leaders (senior vice presidents and above) 42% are women, an increase of 13% since 2015, and 19% are people of color, which is the same percentage as 2015. We have seen an increase in representation for people of color at the vice president and director levels since 2015.

100% Pay Equity in U.S.; Gender Equity in Pay in Canada and China

Goal: 100% global gender pay equity in U.S. and company-owned markets
We have reached an annual 100% percent pay equity for partners of all genders and races performing similar work across the United States from 2017-2019. In March 2019, we announced that we have achieved gender pay equity in Canada and China. We have also joined with other U.S. companies to help eliminate the gender pay gap nationwide.