Despite comprehensive growth in higher education DEI recruitment and hiring practices since 2019, advertisements targeting diverse job candidates have begun to cool since the summer of 2023—when the U.S. Supreme Court banned affirmative action.
That’s according to a new report from JobElephant, a recruitment technology company, which analyzed diversity-focused job board advertisements from 2019 to 2024 from over a thousand colleges and universities in all 50 states. Geographical trends were then evaluated by comparing the proportion of monthly ad volumes to regulations affecting DEI practices.
Since 2022, legislatures in more than 30 states have introduced or passed more than 100 bills “to either restrict or regulate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives,” NBC News reports. Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas have all passed statewide bans on diversity and statements used in hiring or promoting faculty.
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However, diverse advertisement postings have increased despite the bills. From 2023 to 2024, about 17 states—including Idaho, Kansas and Kentucky—saw growth. Job Elephant found “only a slight downward trend” in states that have introduced or passed DEI-restricting bills.
“Universities in general want to have a workforce that mirrors the community around them, and their student base,” said Jennifer Park, director of inclusive recruitment for San Diego State University.
Researchers at Harvard Business Review and Deloitte have both found that companies with above-average diversity and inclusive cultures are more innovative, agile and likelier to produce better business outcomes.
A ‘shifting political landscape’ changes the tone on DEI hiring
Upward trends in diversity advertisements have been curbed since two U.S. Supreme Court decisions against Harvard and North Carolina struck down affirmative action nationwide. While the portion of DEI-focused recruiting advertisements doubled between 2019 and 2023, growth increased temporarily, then flatlined six months later and through the following year.
While the affirmative action case was restricted to race-conscious college admissions, Republican-led states sought to expand the ruling beyond its original intent. Groups have filed complaints and lawsuits against minority-owned businesses with equity initiatives.
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized DEI hiring practices, may further impact higher education staffing and recruiting. An executive order signed in January ordered colleges and universities to end all mandates, policies and programs that fall under the guise of a DEI initiative. The Department of Education has attempted to emphasize this ruling through a “Dear Colleague” Letter.
