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Much like Taylor Swift’s romantic life, DE&I has been on a roller-coaster this year.
As some DE&I leaders have left their jobs, and some companies have been sued over their diversity hiring practices, the future of the field has become increasingly uncertain. However, new data suggests that companies may actually be expanding their DE&I efforts this year.
Job listings for DE&I were down in 2022, job ad company Textio reported at the start of 2023. Furthermore, a February LinkedIn analysis also found a drop in chief DE&I officer roles in 2022.
Fast-forward to September 2023, and just 8% of HR leaders report a reduction in their DE&I budgets so far this year, according to a survey of 445 HR leaders released by software company Capterra. Additionally, 58% reported that their companies had placed a greater emphasis on DE&I this year compared to years past.
However, 70% of HR leaders at least somewhat believe that an economic downturn could negatively impact this progress. Some may already be seeing some impacts of a shaky economic situation, as 23% of respondents said that some DE&I positions have been cut.
Despite the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action for college admissions over the summer, 86% of HR leaders told Capterra they felt the decision made it more important to monitor DE&I.
“We found an overwhelming sense of resilience among organizations regarding their DE[&]I initiatives,” Brian Westfall, principal HR analyst at Capterra, said in a press release.
Right now, we’re all rooting for chiefs, whether they’re diversity officers or a certain football player…