As forecasts of a potential recession persist, many companies are starting to reorganize and find ways to cut costs, leaving progress toward diversity, equity, and inclusion on the back burner.
According to new research from Glassdoor, in September 2017, 27% of companies reviewed on the site indicated corporate investment into DEI programs like Employee Resource Groups. Access to DEI programs surged to 39% in 2020 before peaking to 43% in 2021. This year, however, that number has reduced to 41%.
For Aaron Terrazas, chief economist at Glassdoor, this stall isn’t all that surprising.
“It’s natural that after such dramatic advances in 2020, and 2021, investment took a breather this year with businesses grappling with inflation, high employee turnover and fears about the economic outlook,” Terrazas tells CNBC Make It. “Business leaders have so many burning fires right now, it’s normal in some way that they turned their attention from this issue after the past couple of years.”