With Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) becoming a top priority for organisations in recent years, demand for D&I roles has grown significantly. New data from LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, found that D&I roles have increased by 58% in the UK over the past 5 years, with one fifth (20%) of these roles being in leadership positions.
The UK is the second country globally with the highest number of D&I professionals, only behind the United States, and employs almost twice as many D&I professionals per 10,000 employees than any other country. D&I roles in the UK have grown 4x faster than HR roles in the past 5 years, and there was a 33% increase in D&I jobs posted in June 2020 compared to the previous year. The current average tenure for a D&I employee in the UK is 4.9 years, and nearly a quarter (22%) of D&I professionals are hired internally.
The top 5 fastest growing D&I roles in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) are:
- Director of Diversity
- Diversity Officer
- Head of Diversity
- Diversity Consultant
- Diversity Manager
The top 5 industries in EMEA with the greatest demand for D&I professionals over the past 5 years are:
- Consumer Goods
- Legal
- Software & IT Services
- Manufacturing
- Recreation & Travel
Janine Chamberlin, Director at LinkedIn, said: “Diversity and inclusion has become a top priority for companies over the past few years, with many organisations increasing their hiring of D&I roles, but clearly more needs to be done. Businesses are rethinking organisational culture, allyship and accountability, as well as how they attract and importantly retain diverse talent. This means carefully assessing everything from the language of job postings to ensure people from diverse backgrounds feel encouraged and empowered to apply, to having clear career development opportunities so people feel they belong and can reach their full potential. D&I professionals have a crucial role to play in instigating change and steering companies towards creating fairer, equitable and inclusive workplaces.”
Yvonne Smyth, Group Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Hays, said: “The benefits of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and the actions required to realise them have never been more widely and actively considered. Increasing numbers of employers recognise that a more diverse workforce and inclusive workplace offers many advantages, including improved customer orientation and service, innovation, productivity, profitability, morale and staff retention. This, alongside a number of initiatives that have come into force over recent years including gender pay gap reporting in 2017, and the social mobility employer index in 2016 have been clearly reflected in the increased hiring of diversity and inclusion professionals. It is vital that employers recognise that their diversity and inclusion commitments should be a central anchor in this new era of work. If purposeful progress has slowed or stalled in light of the pandemic, it’s time to get things moving again.”
