Mitt liv (My Life), an investigation into diversity in business
Novus has conducted a survey on behalf of the organization Mitt Liv, which works for diversity and inclusion in the labor market. The aim was to see how many companies are actively working on the issue, to understand their driving forces and challenges, as well as what tools they need to open up to more talent and perspectives.
A majority, 78%, believe that it is important to increase diversity and inclusion in the Swedish labor market. Even more, 83% of managers, see the issue as part of their managerial responsibility. At the same time, only half (49%) state that the company has a strategy and just under a third (31%) have set specific goals.
Few of the companies have dedicated resources in top management. Only 15% of respondents state that there is a diversity and inclusion officer in top management. While 60% of managers state that attracting and retaining talent is the greatest benefit of diversity, 37% state that the greatest obstacle is that people who would contribute to increased diversity lack the right skills or simply do not apply for the advertised jobs (24%).
In general, the public sector and larger companies have come further in the work for diversity and inclusion. It is a greater challenge for small and medium-sized private companies.
The report is based on the responses of 544 managers in the private, non-profit and public sector in companies and organizations with more than 25 employees. If you want to know more about how your company or organization can map how good you are at creating increased inclusion, contact katrin.jansson@novus.se.