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As layoffs hit the tech world in early 2023 and the temperature was rising on corporate diversity programs, LinkedIn reported a decline in chief diversity officers.
However, new data from LinkedIn suggests that DE&I roles are still among the fastest growing in the country.
On Jan. 17, the platform released its annual list of the fastest growing jobs in the US, based on the growth rate of jobs started by users between January 2019 and July 2023. Some may be surprised to hear that while it’s dropped from the #3 spot in 2023, “VP of diversity and inclusion” landed at #7.
The report noted that those in this role typically have a background in HR, as well as skills including diversity training, community outreach, and diversity program development. But the skills people need to be a successful DE&I practitioner may change moving forward, according to Jarvis Sam, founder and CEO of DE&I consultancy Rainbow Disruption.
Sam believes that as DE&I becomes more hotly debated in the courts, these roles will move to legal departments. “There’ll be a big redefining of what the DE&I role is in organizations and where it fits,” he told HR Brew. “That’s where we’re starting to see the greatest amount of energy, is as influence of legal policy from rather large entities like the Supreme Court. Organizations are going to need to manage some of that recourse to support it the right way.”
Sam added that when many organizations made DE&I appointments in 2020, in response to George Floyd’s murder, the roles didn’t have defined qualifications. Leaders pursued them because of their identity and passion. Now, they need more background in strategic planning.
“If organizations are to succeed and thrive in an environment of change and significant political polarization, you need a level of expertise that can build an effective DE&I strategy,” Jarvis said, “that considers things like legal and compliance-based implications, that understands approaches to HR strategy and development from a team and talent management standpoint, and a leader that can build systems and standards of accountability that can withstand certain current and future state and governmental challenges.”