Run the Numbers: These D&I Jobs Are Exploding in 2020
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Run the Numbers unpacks the data that’s driving top retail trends in the industry.
In the past few years, the dialogue around diversity and inclusion in the workplace has continued to expand. The rise of the #MeToo movement has thrown an unforgiving spotlight on a perceived and, in some cases, proven discriminatory treatment of many minorities at companies — at all levels, including on their boards and in the C-suite.
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Now more than ever, it’s become imperative for companies to not only foster environments that protect their employees regardless of race, gender and background, but also hire dedicated leaders whose roles involve building a more diverse and inclusive workplace. A number of companies have taken such added steps — with nearly two-thirds, or 64%, of workers reporting in a recent Glassdoor survey that their companies are investing more in D&I initiatives compared to prior years.
“In 2020 and beyond, as companies continue to usher in a new era of hiring action-oriented diversity and inclusion teams, we expect to see a wave of hiring for leaders and managers that will help carry forward the mission of building a more diverse and inclusive workforce,” Glassdoor chief economist Andrew Chamberlain wrote in the firm’s annual “Job & Hiring Trends” report.
Although D&I programs have been around for decades, more employers in the United States are doubling down on their efforts to recruit, hire and retain skilled workers who can boost diversity within companies.
The report showed that online job postings for D&I roles — including D&I director, D&I manager, D&I consultant and chief diversity officer — jumped 30% in the year ending August, with 810 job openings across the country. Demand for such positions were even higher in other countries, including the United Kingdom, which soared by 106% from the prior year. Similarly, Germany noted a 79% gain, while France saw growth of 53%.
Glassdoor also observed increasing job seeker interest in D&I jobs: Searches for such roles were up 35% over the prior year in the U.S., while the U.K. recorded a 19% rise.
Up until now, said the researchers, most D&I hiring activity has been at large companies, with two-thirds of job openings in those posts at firms with more than 1,000 workers. Glassdoor pointed out that bigger companies are not only subject to more public and regulatory scrutiny, but also have more capital that allows them to invest in dedicated D&I teams. However, it also anticipates more mid-sized employers will catch up this year.
“That momentum will spill into 2020 and beyond,” the report read. “As many companies have learned over the last decade, words without action typically don’t lead to change. We expect the tide to turn in 2020, with more companies putting their money where their mouths are by adding key D&I-focused employees in order to drive lasting change in their workplaces.”
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