Gen Z cares about DEI—so why are employers hiding it?

A talented, driven Gen Z candidate—let's call her Maya—is deep into her job search. She’s excited to start her career and is scouring careers websites for a role where she’ll feel valued, supported, and represented. But as she clicks through, she struggles to find what she’s looking for.  

The DEI commitments that once featured prominently and proudly on careers sites are now buried or missing entirely. Real stories have been replaced by vague statements. Stock photos have replaced authentic images. And so, despite finding a role with great benefits, Maya moves on.  

She’s looking for more than just a job—she's looking for a place where she truly belongs. 

And she’s not alone.  

According to a recent research report by Stories Incorporated, DEI messaging on careers websites is in decline. In 2024, 75% of the Fortune Best Companies to Work For included DEI messaging on their careers website. But by early 2025, that number had dropped by 36%. Today, fewer than half (48%) of careers sites mention DEI on their homepage, and only 38% have a dedicated Diversity & Inclusion page in their top navigation.  

Yet despite this backslide, the demand for DEI hasn’t faded. In fact, it’s more important than ever—especially for younger job seekers. A staggering 77% of Gen Z candidates take a company’s DEI commitment into account when applying. And they’re not just scanning for a corporate statement—they want to see DEI efforts in action. If they don’t, they’ll take their talents elsewhere.  

"Sharing stories of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging is still vital to talent attraction and retention strategies. Candidates and employees want to work somewhere they can be themselves and are supported, even while the external landscape around DEI continues to shift. Removing these stories eliminates that authentic view that candidates crave when searching for a job."   

Jill Shabelman, Partner | Stories Inc. 

Despite years of progress, some companies are retreating from DEI efforts. There are two big reasons why: 

1. DEI is seen as a "nice-to-have" rather than a strategic business imperative.
    
   Many leaders still view diversity initiatives as a separate moral responsibility, not a driver of talent attraction, innovation, and financial performance. Without clear prioritization from the top, DEI becomes an afterthought—or worse, a box-checking exercise. 
   
   
2. Fear of backlash.  
   
   A shifting political and cultural landscape has made some organizations hesitant to put DEI front and center. A few high-profile missteps—like Bud Light’s collaboration with a transgender influencer, which led to both backlash from conservative consumers and LGBTQ+ advocates or Netflix’s DEI marketing campaign, which was called out for being disconnected from its internal representation—have fueled concerns about overcorrection, performative messaging, and public scrutiny. 

The result? Many companies are quietly deprioritizing DEI rather than embedding it into their core employer brand. But Gen Z is too savvy to be fooled by this retreat. They want to see action, not ambiguity. 

Is it time to remove the labels? 

If Gen Z job seekers are skeptical of corporate statements and press releases, perhaps the solution is simple: Stop treating DEI as a standalone initiative and start making it an intrinsic part of your employer brand.  

Instead of isolating DEI, embed it into your brand DNA. Show candidates how important DEI is, don’t tell them. Seamlessly weave inclusion into every part of your employer brand—across your careers website, throughout your hiring process, and within your workplace culture.  

By doing that, DEI won’t feel like an optional extra or a risk to be managed. Instead, it becomes what it should have been all along—a fundamental part of how you attract, engage and retain top talent. 

Here’s how you can bring DEI to life in a way that feels real, rather than performative—positioning it as an everyday priority, rather than just a page on your site.  

Show, don’t tell: User-generated stories 

For Gen Z, authenticity is key. They’re marketing savvy, meaning generic corporate statements won’t cut it. Instead, embed your culture across every aspect of your careers site and all channels.  

How?  

• Use real employee photos to put a face to your claims, making them more relatable and real.  
• Feature employee experiences—first-hand accounts of career growth, challenges, and successes. 
• Create user-generated blogs, testimonials and videos to provide a genuine view of what it’s like to work at your company. 

The Canva careers website is a great example of the power of diverse, dynamic content. Their human-centric culture is front-and-center, helping to humanize the brand, add credibility to their DEI claims, and ensure candidates can picture themselves as part of the team.  

How Happydance helps

Happydance's creative concierge services are designed to help you create effective, authentic content at pace. We'll bring your employee stories to life with on-brand, impactful assets—typically delivered within 48-72 hours. We'll ensure your employer brand feels authentic, compelling, and deeply human. 

Use inclusive, non-bias language 

Words matter. A lot.  

Even a few small language changes can make employer branding materials and job descriptions more inclusive. 

How?  

Even subtle bias can alienate qualified candidates—but these nuances can be difficult to spot when you’re working at pace.  

How Happydance helps 

The Happydance platform has a built-in job page grader that instantly analyzes job postings against 80 proven performance criteria—including bias language—and provides recommendations for improvement. You can also use our AI-powered job description genie to instantly create job descriptions that are clear, inclusive, and aligned with your employer brand.  

Be transparent with your DEI data 

Transparency builds trust. Publishing DEI metrics on your careers website shows that you’re committed to the cause and open about what needs to change. After all, candidates don’t expect perfection, they want to see authenticity and progress.  

How? 

• Publish your diversity metrics and hiring trends. 
• Share real stories of improvement—what's working, what’s not, and what’s next. 
• Include optional demographic questions in your application process to track and improve hiring diversity. 

How Happydance helped Criteo 

Criteo is a global giant in the commerce-media sector with a vibrant company culture. Their commitment to DEI is reinforced across every aspect of their careers website—from inclusive messaging and diverse imagery to the application process itself.  

By adding an optional diversity data collection page, we allowed candidates to submit their demographic information during the application process. They achieved an impressive 98% global disclosure rate—showcasing the impact of a sitewide approach to DEI in building candidates’ trust in Criteo as an inclusive employer.  

This sitewide approach also contributed to a massive 81% application completion rate, proving the power of authentic, intrinsic DEI branding.  

Now’s not the time to backtrack on DEI 

The decline in DEI representation on careers websites doesn’t mean that DEI is less important —it means that too many organizations are misreading the moment. Gen Z isn't looking for token statements. They are making career decisions based on whether an organization’s commitment to DEI is genuine, embedded and ongoing. 

If you want to attract and retain the best talent, it’s time to stop treating DEI as a separate initiative and make it a living part of your employer brand—an everyday priority.  

If you want to implement impactful changes across your careers website and attract the top talent of tomorrow, get in touch with our team today.