{"id":4011,"date":"2025-01-21T12:50:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T12:50:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.whitecrowresearch.com\/resources\/?p=4011"},"modified":"2025-04-24T12:13:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T12:13:02","slug":"the-whitecrow-whisper-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.whitecrowresearch.com\/resources\/2025\/01\/21\/the-whitecrow-whisper-5\/","title":{"rendered":"THE WHITECROW WHISPER"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A quarterly digest of facts, figures and opinion from the Talent Aquisition sector
January 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Is DEI dead?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Companies are losing faith in the diversity project<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of our recent projects involved speaking to a number of DEI leaders across the US and Europe. Our interviewees came from a wide range of sectors, but they spoke nevertheless in the same rather downbeat tone of voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019d run the same project a couple of years ago, chances are we\u2019d have come away with the impression of a confident, high-energy bunch of business leaders. Post BLM and MeToo, there was palpable, worldwide confidence that we could create a more caring and inclusive world.
In short, DEI was cool. But fast forward to today and the vibe has shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are some obvious reasons for this. The incoming Trump administration is well known for its disparagement of DEI. The US legal landscape has also shifted following the April 2023 Supreme Court ruling which outlawed positive discrimination at universities. This seems to have prompted a number of companies, including McDonald\u2019s, Harley Davidson and Jack Daniel\u2019s<\/a>, to abandon their diversity targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But maybe there\u2019s a deeper reason DEI leaders seem a bit gloomy. Could it be that they\u2019ve lost faith in the project? No moral person could disagree that we need to create supportive, inclusive workplaces. But key to that objective is ensuring different groups regard each other with mutual trust. And recent developments suggest that\u2019s not happening. Men are nowadays commonly
described as \u2018toxic\u2019. White people are encouraged to feel \u2018guilt\u2019. Successful minorities are often accused of being \u2018diversity hires\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then of course there are the conflicting interests of disparate groups. The LGBT agenda is arguably at odds with Islam. Promoting transgender rights runs up against the rights of women to safe spaces. Regardless of what you think about any of these debates, it\u2019s impossible to pretend they don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent legal and political events will ensure that DEI leaders are circumspect in what programs and initiatives they devise. But the smarter ones will also be careful about the messaging around these, mindful that they need to keep all employees and consumers onside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If they don\u2019t, the whole DEI enterprise could come to a shuddering halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World According to WhiteCrow<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As one of the world\u2019s largest sourcing and recruitment company, WhiteCrow works with clients across multiple geographies and sectors. So a brief glance at what we\u2019re working on ought to provide a clue to what\u2019s going on in the wider market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last quarter, the data tells us this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n