US tech giants scaled back diversity hires, programs in 2023: report

Many companies in the sector ramped up their committment to DEI in 2020 in response to the death of George Floyd and the ensuing racial justice protests, however it appears as though that is no longer a priority.

According to data from Indeed obtained by CNBC, in mid-2023 there were 44 percent fewer DEI-related job postings than during that time period the year before, and in November, the number was 23 percent lower.

When DEI initiatives began gaining momentum in 2021, on the other hand, there were 30 percent more related job postings than the previous year.

Along with fewer DEI-related positions, some companies have done away with internal programs aimed at supporting people from marginalized backgrounds. Google, for example, developed the "Early Career Immersion" program in 2021 to do just that, however this year, all the positions were left vacant. Meta's entire Sourcer Development Program workforce was fired, as well.

One of the products of the George Floyd era was a rise in third party contractors being brought into large corporations to lecture employees about issues related to racial justice and DEI.

In 2023, tech companies such as Google and Meta reduced their partnerships with such groups, much to the shagrin of their leaders, who had been counting on the popularity of their initiatives to remain steady for years.

Despite the numbers, Meta and Google have maintained that they are still committed to DEI, with the former telling CNBC in a statement that it "remains at the center of who we are as a company."

"We continue to intentionally design equitable and fair practices to drive progress across our people, product, policy and partnerships pillars," a spokesperson added.

Google defended itself by pointing out that "our workforce reductions and company-wide efforts to sharpen our focus span the breadth of our business," adding, "To be absolutely clear, our commitment to that work has not changed and we invested in many new programs and partnerships this year."