After seven grueling interviews, a recruiting offer seemed within reach for David Daniels IV. Daniels learned that a reference check included a careful discussion of his background in diversity, equity, and inclusion. That offer never came.
Listing DEI experience on your resume can feel like wearing a scarlet letter in an already difficult job market, Daniels says. Daniels lives in New York and has held positions at companies including yoga wear retailer Lululemon. Athletica Co., Ltd.
“There’s a sense that if you’re doing DEI, we don’t want to hire you,” he said.
For Daniels and others like him, working in diversity was a hot commodity within corporate America just a few years ago. Now there is responsibility. Conservatives have decried diversity efforts as exclusionary, while anger over what President Trump has called “illegal DEI” has spurred layoffs at many companies. Fearing lawsuits and the loss of government contracts, companies quickly pivoted and downsized or disbanded their diversity groups.
This leaves unemployed DEI professionals stranded, competing for roles in a tough job market. About a quarter of the economy’s unemployed have been out of work for more than six months, the highest rate since the mid-2010s, excluding the pandemic era. DEI experts say there is less interest from recruiters and fewer interviews from companies than there was a few years ago. To increase their chances, professionals are removing three letters from their resumes and seeking roles in adjacent departments such as human resources, public relations, and marketing. Some people are considering changing jobs.
One of the job seekers is Josue Mendez of New York. He previously worked in the diversity group at Ogilvy, an advertising agency owned by WPP. He was among those fired in June, weeks after his team won an industry award for its leadership program for Black male employees. Since then, Mendez has spent his days researching job openings and attending job fairs.
The conversation with the recruiter was going well, he said, until Mendez mentioned his experience in diversity.
“All of a sudden, it got really cold,” Mendez recalled. “The moment they see your past work, especially around DEI, they don’t want to come near you.”
The call ended earlier than expected. The recruiter then informed Mendez that he was removed from the position.
A few large companies are publicly committed to diversity in the workplace. Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Coca-Cola maintain DEI labels on their websites. Some companies also value veterans and employees with disabilities.
However, last year there was a wave of reversal. Amazon.com Inc. has discontinued some programs, McDonald’s has stopped setting “representation goals,” and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has ended its policy of listing some companies only if their board members are diverse.
Tinecia Boea Robinson, whose firm CapEQ advises companies on diversity and other social issues, said corporate concerns around legal risk overshadowed everything else earlier this year.
“A lot of people basically went to their lawyers and asked, how can I protect myself from a lawsuit?”
Job advertisements reflect the changed landscape. The number of new jobs in diversity-related roles this year has been cut by about half from 2019 levels to about 1,500, according to workforce analysis firm Rebellio Lab. At the height of the DEI boom in 2022, the number of posts increased by almost four times compared to 2019, to approximately 10,000.
Victoria Parson of New Orleans lost her job at a company advising clients on diversity initiatives late last year, and while looking for work, she attends networking events held by the local chamber of commerce to help find clients for her new consulting business.
The moment Parson mentions her 15-year career working in diversity, people laugh uncomfortably, change the subject, or look over her shoulder to find someone else to talk to.
“I’m seeing and feeling people pulling back,” Parson said. “There’s a lot of fear around this and people don’t want to get involved with it.”
Still, despite the current stagnation, Parson said he hopes to see diversity programs re-emerge stronger and more inclusive, serving all demographics rather than just one group.
Murray, who did not want her full name published for fear of online attacks from DEI critics, lost her $150,000 job as a diversity manager after Trump’s election victory. Her job search initially consisted of phone calls and interviews. Now the reaction has almost disappeared. Marie said she noticed that some companies were posting the same diversity roles multiple times over several months and then retracting them. And in one interview, the chief diversity officer told her that management didn’t have a good understanding of diversity in the workplace, even though the company assigned the role.
Given the lack of diversity roles, Marie said she is considering leaving the field. But returning to his former field of public education means risking his income being cut in half. During that time, she joined a group dedicated to professionals who had been laid off from diversity jobs. Founder Michael Strefferi, who was let go as Realtor.com’s DEI director earlier this year, said the group’s members have skills that can be applied to many other roles, including chief of staff. They can also take on roles related to succession planning, compliance and shaping the company’s culture, he said.
“They are systems thinkers, culture shapers and crisis navigators,” Stoffelli said.
Before quitting his job earlier this year, Carlos Ayala experienced a downturn. She was previously the energy company’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, but her title has changed and her role has been demoted. He remained with the company for several months to help “de-risk” the division he once ran. That meant watering down or eliminating diversity policies to reduce legal risk.
Ayala quickly experienced first-hand the responsibilities of working in DEI. He said he applied for a position overseeing diversity efforts at a company that appears to be sticking to its strategy, at least publicly. In the middle of the interview, Ayala received an email from the hiring manager. The content was that companies were “restructuring roles” and shifting to generalist HR positions.
“I thought, God, that’s a shame, they pulled me over,” said Ayala, who is based in the Chicago area.
Weeks later, he’s still waiting to hear if he’s got the job. Back in New York, Daniels continues to look for work. He has worked on several consulting assignments, including with clients in the UK, where the political backlash against diversity is less severe.
He said he has been getting more interviews since removing the DEI label from his online profile. Daniels said in several interviews that he has repeatedly had to reassure recruiters that he would still be comfortable working for a company that doesn’t focus on diversity.
Despite the DEI staff cuts, Daniels is taking a long-term view. There are ebbs and flows when it comes to social justice issues, he said, adding, “America has always been this way.”
Kishan writes for Bloomberg.
