Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals
While the percentage of employers with a formal diversity recruiting effort has fluctuated since 2008, that percentage dropped significantly this year, according to results of NACE’s 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey.
Although formal efforts to recruit underrepresented groups such as women, racial/ethnic minorities, students with disabilities, and military veterans have become core elements of URR programs, the percentage of employers with a formal diversity recruiting effort dropped significantly this year, falling 14.6 percent from last year to 56.3 percent. (See Figure 1.)
Among employers with formal diversity efforts, women, African-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans were priority recruits. (See Figure 2.) The focus on these groups has been consistent since 2011. However, there has been a growing emphasis on recruiting students with disabilities; this area has increased 13.2 percent—from 51.2 percent to 64.4 percent—over last year and nearly 30 percent since 2011.
When looking at employer diversity targets broken down by major, African-Americans (91.7 percent) are targeted more than other groups among business majors. (See Figure 3.) However, women are the main focus among engineering (100 percent) and computer science (95.5 percent) majors.
NACE’s 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey was conducted from May 24, 2016, to August 31, 2016, among NACE employer members; 233, or 24.6 percent, responded. Highlights from the 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey are available on NACEWeb. Participating members can access the full report through MyNACE.
Figure 1: Employers With Formal Diversity Recruiting Efforts: 2011-16
| Year |
Percentage Reporting |
| 2016 |
56.3% |
| 2015 |
70.9% |
| 2014 |
77.4% |
| 2013 |
73.6% |
| 2012 |
69.8% |
| 2011 |
70.9% |
Source: 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Figure 2: Priority Groups for Diversity Recruitment, 2011-16
| Group |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
| Women |
88.1% |
90.8% |
86.4% |
91.6% |
90.1% |
95.6% |
| African-American |
93.3% |
95.1% |
90.2% |
91.1% |
90.1% |
93.3% |
| Hispanic-American |
89.6% |
91.4% |
83.2% |
85.5% |
83.3% |
90.0% |
| Military veterans |
- |
- |
67.4% |
78.8% |
77.2% |
82.2% |
| Students with disabilities |
35.6% |
40.5% |
41.3% |
59.2% |
51.2% |
64.4% |
| Asian-Americans |
60.7% |
62.0% |
60.3% |
60.3% |
56.8% |
62.2% |
| Native Americans |
54.8% |
57.1% |
50.0% |
55.9% |
51.9% |
60.0% |
Source: 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers
Figure 3: Priority Groups for Diversity Recruitment, 2011-16
| Major |
Women |
African-American |
Hispanic-American |
Asian-Americans |
Native Americans |
Students with disabilities |
Military veterans |
| All Majors |
89.7% |
89.7% |
82.1% |
59.0% |
51.3% |
51.3% |
74.4% |
| Business |
83.3% |
91.7% |
79.2% |
50.0% |
45.8% |
37.5% |
54.2% |
| Computer Science |
95.5% |
81.8% |
68.2% |
45.5% |
63.6% |
40.9% |
59.1% |
| Engineering |
100% |
80.8% |
73.1% |
53.8% |
57.7% |
42.3% |
61.5% |
Source: 2016 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers