DE&I programs have come under fire from politicians and right-wing activists over the past year, thanks in part to the Supreme Court’s June ruling that race-based affirmative action is illegal.

Now, a report from DE&I consultancy Paradigm has found that while some organizations increased their diversity tracking and efforts in 2023, others decreased their DE&I spending and strategy. The report comes amid concerns that the affirmative action ruling could influence workplace DE&I initiatives.

By the numbers. The report, called “The State of Data-Driven DEI,” examined DE&I data from 143 organizations in September 2023. It found that while there was a six-point YOY increase in the number of organizations with a designated DE&I leader, there was a four-point decrease in the number with a DE&I budget. There was also a nine-point decrease in the number of organizations with a DE&I strategy.

Furthermore, while 12% fewer companies gathered employee feedback on inclusion efforts compared to last year, 8% more had gender representation goals, for a new total of 34%. And 4% more established goals for race and ethnicity in leadership, for a total of 20%.

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