DEI, as we have known it since 2020, is poised to look different in 2025 and beyond. From the U.S. government eliminating its programs to companies altering strategies and withdrawing commitments, the road ahead is uncertain.  

But some things will never be different. Like, employees’ and candidates’ desires to work somewhere they belong and are supported. Regardless of whether the DEI acronym exists, people will still be looking for organizations where they see themselves reflected in others, and where there is support for what matters most to them. And, there is still a compelling business case that diverse perspectives lead to better business outcomes. 

So, has DEI messaging changed to reflect environmental and social pressure? How is DEI reflected on career sites now?

2024 Research Recap

In 2024, we reviewed all 100 career sites from the 2023 Fortune “Best Companies to Work For” list to see how they reflected their organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 

We found that 75% of companies on the list had some mention of diversity and inclusion on their career site. But, of that group, only 36% used actual employees in diversity-related content outside of static images. Sixty percent of companies included their philosophy or strategy related to DEI, but only 44% included metrics or measurements to show their progress. Given the major transformation DEI is going through, we were curious to see what had changed in a year. 

How DEI Messaging Changed in the Last Year

We compared the DEI messaging on the career sites from the 2023 Fortune Best Companies to Work list with the 2024 list. In 2024, 75% of companies included DEI content on their main careers site page. As of early 2025, that number has dropped by 36%. Only 48% of the 2024 Fortune “Best Companies to Work For” list mention DEI front and center in career site messaging. 

The only category we saw a significant increase in messaging was including employee testimonials or stories within DEI content. Nineteen more companies included more employee-driven text stories related to DEI. 

The takeaway? There is clearly a shift away from leading with diversity and inclusion in careers site content, but the companies who are standing by their DEI commitments are continuing to find ways to better humanize their messages.

2025 Research: What DEI Content is on Company Career Sites?

A DEI report by Lever found that 81% of job candidates investigated a company’s website to discover their stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion before applying for an open position. That’s an overwhelming number of candidates trying to marry your company’s DEI promises with its actions. 

What we’ve found consistently is that DEI content on career sites isn’t always easy to find. 

This year, only 48% of the career sites we reviewed have some mention of DEI on their home page, and only 38% have a top menu navigation that leads directly to their Diversity & Inclusion page. 

This also means that 52% of sites don’t include any information on DEI in the place where candidates are most likely to search for it. This is a significant increase from the 25% that didn’t include it last year. 

Key takeaway: We know there is a lot you need on your career site, but making sure DEI content is easily accessible should be a priority to recruit and retain diverse team members.

2025 Research: What DEI Content do Candidates Care About and What are they Getting?

When considering a new job, employees say it is important that there are employees and leaders they identify with, and that DEI is a priority for the CEO. DEI efforts are also a key factor in career decisions for Gen Z (77%) and Millennials (63%) according to a study conducted by Eagle Hill Consulting.

DEI philosophies and strategies are commonly listed on company sites. And this year, we saw a small increase to 66% of sites including some mention of their philosophy around promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at their company. 

But words on a screen don’t always paint the full picture.

Only 38% of these companies include data and measurements on how they are reaching their DEI goals, a slight decrease from the prior year. The most effective pages include their employee data directly on the site, but this wasn’t the majority. Most data is housed in a downloadable report (many of which are still reporting 2023 data), which means a candidate needs to download it, find the people section, and then look at the data.

What about sharing workplace awards?

We also found that only 31% of sites included their DEI awards on their main diversity page, which is an easy way for candidates to see how the company is being specifically recognized for their DEI efforts.

Key takeaway: We’re still not making it easy for candidates to see the progress of a company’s diversity and inclusion commitments by burying the data in lengthy—and sometimes outdated— reports.

2025 Research: How Well-Represented is DEI Content on Career Sites?

Only 34% of the Fortune 100 “Best Companies to Work For” list use actual employees in diversity-related content on their website outside of static images. 

In our research, we found:

• 32% of sites had at least one video focused on DEI (but many use stock broll and voiceover rather than real employee experiences.)
• 32% used employee quotes or testimonials outside of leaders like their CEO or Chief Diversity Officer, a decent increase from over 18% last year.
• 53% listed their employee resource groups (ERGs) but only a few included any stories or videos featuring ERG members. 

Key takeaway: Candidates say it’s important there are employees and leaders they identify with. Not including current employees in DEI content is a real missed opportunity to showcase these employees and leaders. Here are our five DEI content strategy tips to earn employee and candidate trust.

Conclusion

Yes, the conversation around DEI is changing. But it doesn’t mean DEI messaging should go away. Diversity and inclusion-specific messaging helps paint a realistic picture of your culture and shows how different team members thrive. 

As uncovered in the research over the last two years, even the top workplaces have opportunities to share more of their DEI story on their career sites, particularly through the experiences of their people. Candidates who are interested in your company will spend a limited amount of time searching for the information they care about the most. When diversity and inclusion content is hard to find, or not substantive, candidates will quickly move on to the company that shows them a place where they may belong.

About our methodology

Our observational research was focused on company career and web site content. We know many organizations talk about DEI across other channels, but for the sake of equal comparison, we limited our analysis to career sites. We started our search at every company’s careers home page and followed its DEI story from there.