Diversity in the work force involves qualified employees from traditionally underrepresented groups, including women, Blacks, Latinos, Asians, American Indians, people with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is necessary to have a concerted diversity-recruiting effort for several reasons:

• The U.S. labor pool is rapidly diversifying. By 2016, 70 percent of the work force will be women and/or Black, Latino or Asian. By 2043, white people will be less than 50 percent of all Americans. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau)
• That racially diverse labor pool is achieving high-school, college and advanced degrees at a higher growth rate than the general labor pool.
• From 1990 to 2004, Asians and Latinos experienced a more than 80 percent increase in bachelor's and advanced degrees received, while Blacks increased receipt of advanced degrees by more than 30 percent and bachelor's degrees by 15 percent. Whites, on the other hand, experienced a decline in all degrees received. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• There are fewer entrants to the work force predicted, which means the race for this talent pool will be even more competitive. Annual work-force growth is expected to start declining in the next decade. (Future Works Institute)

DiversityInc Top 50 data shows that recruitment is tied to retention. Companies that have rigorous efforts to recruit diverse work forces maintain all their employees, regardless of factors such as race/ethnicity and gender. Companies with these specific, dedicated recruitment programs also report a corresponding increase in promotions of managers from traditionally underrepresented groups, according to DiversityInc Top 50 data.

BEST PRACTICES IN DIVERSITY RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention have demonstrated increased recruitment over 10 years from traditionally underrepresented groups using proven best practices, such as strong relationships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), as well as professional organizations aimed at multicultural groups.

These companies, as well as those on the DiversityInc Top 50, take advantage of diversity-oriented job boards and brand themselves as diversity leaders. They use collateral material, such as diversity annual reports (and sections in the corporate annual report) as well as their corporate web sites to brand themselves externally as diversity leaders.

One of the most effective recruitment best practices they have documented is mandating diverse slates of candidates for management positions, those being filled both internally and externally. This requirement, also practiced by the NFL now in hiring coaches, has increased the racial/ethnic/gender diversity of management ranks in the DiversityInc Top 50. DiversityInc Top 50 companies now average 24 percent managers who are Black, Latino, Asian or American Indian, compared with 15 percent nationally (EEOC).

Best practices in successfully acclimating these employees, as well as fully developing their talent, require full use of employee-resource groups, which are company-sponsored groups focusing on traditionally underrepresented groups that augment business goals, including recruitment, retention and talent development. The DiversityInc Top 50 also document the increased use of cross-cultural mentoring programs and employee-engagement best practices to ensure they are creating inclusive cultures in which ALL employees feel comfortable and talent can be fully developed.