Nearly half (49%) of organisations are now requesting diversity data from job applicants according to new research.

The research, released by Hays, found that whilst 49% of organisations are asking applicants for diversity data, 40% said they weren’t, whilst 11% were unsure. Large organisations (53%) and public sector employers (69%) were most likely to ask for diversity data over SMEs and private sector organisations.

Collecting diversity data from job applicants is a key focus for many organisations as they seek to progress their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives and build more diverse and inclusive workplaces.

Majority of professionals willing to part with diversity data

Four out of five (80%) professionals are happy to share their diversity data with organisations when applying for a role – although one in five (20%) said they wouldn’t be happy to do so. 18–24-year-olds are most willing to provide this information (92%), versus 77% of 30–39-year-olds.

When it comes to the type of diversity data professionals are comfortable in sharing, 67% are happy to disclose their gender or gender identity, 62% are willing to share their ethnicity/nationality and 61% are comfortable to disclose their age.

The majority of professionals are less comfortable about providing data around their socio-economic background (23%), their mental health status (32%) and their dependant status (33%) – i.e. if they’re a parent or carer. Less than two in five (39%) are willing to share their sexual orientation with a prospective employer.

Dan Robertson, MD of FAIRER Consulting, a Hays company, commented: “Collecting diversity data is the first step towards understanding the make up of your workforce – and identifying where there might be gaps.

Although there’s clear willingness from professionals to share some aspects of their personal diversity data, less than half of employers are actually asking for this during the hiring process. If you’re aiming for more equal representation in specific areas of your business, data collection at point of hire can help establish whether you’re building a talent pipeline with the diversity required to achieve your goals.

Our research also shows that there’s still some way to go for employers to ensure applicants feel comfortable that their data will be used in the right way – clearly explaining the purpose of data collection. Demonstrating the positive action taken off the back of any data collection, to both your current and prospective workforce, and the improvements that have occurred as a result, is crucial to embedding psychological safety and boosting confidence levels.”