The makeup of the workforce is changing and companies will need to adapt if they want to continue attracting and retaining top talent, according to a new study by Paradigm. Researchers found that the U.S. population is becoming increasingly ethnically/racially diverse, while generational diversity is expanding and more people identify as neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ than ever before. 

The data also show that most organizations are not prepared to handle this change as they struggle to hire racially/ethnically diverse employees, develop talent from underrepresented backgrounds and create positive workplace experiences across demographic groups. 

According to the study, 83% of companies saw more racially and ethnically diverse candidates during the hiring process than were eventually hired. Within these companies, a white candidate was 1.7 times more likely to be hired than candidates from other racial/ethnic backgrounds.