NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand for a diverse and inclusive workplace culture is growing, and companies must keep up with that momentum to continue to thrive in the market for top talent today.

RippleMatch, the recruitment automation platform changing how Gen Z finds work, has released new research on how diverse members of Gen Z are approaching the labor market this season — including which Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) efforts matter most to candidates today as they decide where to work.

RippleMatch helps employers build diverse, high-performing teams. With more than 2 million candidate profiles from more than 1,500 colleges — including more than 175 HBCUs — RippleMatch is uniquely positioned to collect data on what Gen Z values in the workplace.

Surveying more than 2,600 college juniors and seniors, these are the top themes that emerged from RippleMatch's data:

Men are more optimistic than women about finding a good internship or job amidst economic uncertainty this fall

• 46% of male candidates are confident that they will find a role that meets their standards this year, compared to just 36% of female candidates

Gen Z candidates today are evaluating employers' efforts to diversify the workforce when deciding whether to apply

• 75% of all candidates say they would reconsider applying to work at a company if they were unsatisfied with it's D&I efforts

Female candidates from underrepresented backgrounds are the most concerned about securing an internship or job with competitive compensation this year

• 44% of Black women expect their greatest challenge this season to be finding a role that meets their salary expectations
• 74% of Black women and 68% of Hispanic women say they would rescind an offer for another with more competitive compensation

Early career candidates from underrepresented backgrounds have a stronger preference for remote work than White and Asian candidates

• While hybrid work is the most preferred work setting across all candidates, a larger share of Black and Hispanic candidates prefer fully remote work than White and Asian candidates

Read the full report here