Photo by Christina Morillo
In the wake of the George Floyd murder by Minneapolis police in 2020, many companies rushed to show their support for the Black community. This included increased hiring for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) roles. However, a recent report revealed some concerning statistics.
An NBC report revealed that 40 percent of recent layoffs in surveyed organizations were in DEI roles, compared to 24 percent in non-DEI positions. This has led to questions about the sincerity of the initial hiring spree. Revelio Labs senior economist Reyhan Ayas noted that public statements and commitments are easy to make but often not followed through on.
“I always say that it is so easy to make public statements and commitments because no one will eventually check if you’re committed to the things that you committed to,” Revelio Labs senior economist Reyhan Ayas told NBC. “I can say: ‘I will be fully vegan by 2025’ because no one will ever call me in 2025 and ask me if I’m actually fully vegan. And that’s really what is going on here. In 2020, a lot of companies made big commitments, big statements around the DEI roles and goals. And, as we are observing a turning of that tide, I think it’s very timely that we actually look into companies to see if they have kept up with those big statements they made.”
A separate study by Zippia sheds light on the racial disparities in DEI roles. According to the report, 76.1 percent of chief diversity officer roles are held by white professionals, while only 3.8 percent are held by Black professionals. These percentages have remained relatively stagnant between 3.1 percent and 3.8 percent for Black employees from 2010 to 2021, AfroTech reported.
In the aftermath of the unrest sparked by the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many companies made it a “trend” to appear as if their mission was to actively support the Black community.
In addition to initiatives to invest in Black-owned businesses, another popular response was a spike in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) jobs. However, not too shortly after the hype died down, many DEI professionals were cut loose.
As previously shared by AFROTECH, an NBC report showed that 40% of layoffs at surveyed organizations were for DEI roles compared to 24% for non-DEI roles. The numbers have fueled people’s perspective that the hiring wasn’t “genuine” to begin with.
Photo by Christina Morillo: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-women-sitting-in-front-of-white-table-1181610/
