Sessions

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According to the May 2022, Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, there are currently 11.5 million job openings in the U.S. How can Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professionals help our companies fill these job openings and simultaneously increase the diversity of our workforce? One solution is hiding in plain sight. “Hidden workers” are those job seekers often screened out by traditional hiring technology and processes, with research from Accenture and the Harvard Business School’s Project on Managing the Future of Work, projecting over 27.4 million “hidden” workers in our midst.

This talent pool is comprised of people eager to work, already possessing or willing to develop the skills employers seek and include people with physical, mental, or developmental challenges, gaps in employment history, and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. By learning and implementing hiring processes that attract and retain people with disabilities, companies can combat labor shortages and fill open roles with talented candidates. Two-thirds of all business leaders reported that hidden workers performed better in the six key areas most important to employers: attitude and work ethic, productivity, quality of work, employee engagement, innovation, and attendance. Further, research shows that when compared, companies that hire hidden workers were 36% less likely to face talent and skills shortages than companies that do not. By reimagining hiring practices, employers can close skills gaps, improve workforce diversity, boost productivity, and build a culture that brings these workers out of hiding and into the workforce.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover who “hidden workers” are, and their potential to solve labor shortages while increasing workforce diversity.
• Hear effective best practices for reimagining traditional hiring practices that realize the benefits of the untapped talents of people with disabilities.
• Access the tools and resources needed to maximize the potential of workers with disabilities
• Learn how expanding diversity, equity, inclusion efforts to include disability can contribute to a cultural shift towards accessibility in diversity rubrics.