A recent study by Bloomberg revealed a striking statistic: 94 percent of new corporate jobs are being filled by non-white employees. This trend emerged following the death of George Floyd in 2021. As quoted by Bloomberg, “After Floyd’s murder, companies adopted several practices to help hire and retain underrepresented workers, including establishing leadership development programs and training managers in inclusive practices. They’re also getting better at identifying broader pools of job candidates.”
Despite making up 76 percent of the population, white people only account for 6 percent of new hires. This is an example of what is being referred to as “equity,” where one’s race, specifically being white, can disqualify them from job openings and promotions.
This shift in hiring practices has been facilitated by updates to employment services such as LinkedIn, which now allows recruiters to filter job candidates by race. Furthermore, corporations are financially incentivized to discriminate against white people. Executives receive bonuses based on “diversity hirings” and have quotas to meet by the end of the year.
Companies are also influenced by environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores. ESG assigns a score to a company based on factors like its commitment to diversity and inclusion. A higher ESG score can attract more investment from firms like BlackRock. According to Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, ESG is a tool to “force behaviors,” and the exclusion of white people in the hiring process could be seen as a result of this forced behavior.
This approach to achieving racial impartiality is not without its critics. Some argue that “excused racism” does not lead society toward racial impartiality, but instead fosters a more racist society where individuals are defined by their skin color. The focus on race as the primary identifying characteristic in hiring practices undermines the importance of individual competence and identity.
Jack McPherrin ([email protected]) is a managing editor of StoppingSocialism.com, research editor for The Heartland Institute, and a research fellow for Heartland's Socialism Research Center. He holds an MA in International Affairs from Loyola University-Chicago, and a dual BA in Economics and History from Boston College.
