Intel paying double referral fees for women and minority hires

Company paying bonuses of up to $4,000 in attempt to drive diversity

Intel is paying double referral bonuses to employees who successfully suggest female and minority job candidates.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Intel - which recently announced it will delay its planned 10 namometer resolution processor switch until 2017 - is offering incentives of up to $4,000 to staff who refer a new recruit who helps the multinational corporation to achieve its diversity goals.

"Intel is committed to increase the diversity of our workforce. We are currently offering our employees an additional incentive to help us attract diverse qualified candidates in a competitive environment for talent," Intel said in a statement.

An Intel spokeswoman said the company has used higher recruitment bonuses for the past 10 years but didn't specify what the higher figures were incentives for or what the amounts on offer actually were.

Earlier this year, Intel announced plans to spend $300m on building a more diverse workforce, with the recruitment of more women seen as a key focus.

"I'm announcing our intention to lead by example," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "I invite the entire tech industry to join us."

The company plans to reach "full representation" of women and minorities by 2020. Figures suggest that three-quarters of the company's current employees are men, while just under 90 per cent of staff are white.

"This isn't just good business," said Krzanich. "This is the right thing to do."

Intel isn't the only Silicon Valley giant looking to hire more women and ethnic minorities, with the likes of Google and Facebook also looking to close the diversity gap.

However, it appears that the industry faces an uphill battle when it comes to equality in the workplace, as recent reports suggest that women in IT still face harassment in the industry as a whole.