In fact, our 2025 survey of MBA and advanced degree candidates at 300+ programs found this talent pool is prioritizing companies with DEI programs 3x more than in our 2024 survey.
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I can’t stop thinking about one finding from our 2025 Candidate Recruitment Experience report:
Despite attacks on DEI, top candidates are favoring companies with DEI programs even more.
In fact, our 2025 survey of MBA and advanced degree candidates at 300+ programs found this talent pool is prioritizing companies with DEI programs 3x more than in our 2024 survey.
If you care about the experience of marginalized people, or if you’re someone from an underrepresented background yourself, you won’t find that surprising.
The truth is, there’s a lot of pressing problems for company leaders to solve today. And as Michael A. Yassa put it well in an op-ed for Inside Higher Ed, we can’t pretend DEI initiatives prior to this administration were working perfectly.
He was asked to share his thoughts on anti-DEI legislation at a major hospitality investment conference. This is what he had to say about his nearly 100-year-old company:
“The winds blow, but there are some fundamental truths for those 98 years. We welcome all to our hotels and we create opportunities for all — and fundamentally those will never change. The words might change, but that’s who we are as a company.”
Within 24 hours, he’d been emailed by 40,000 Marriott associates around the world to say “thank you.”
Exact politics may differ, but being outright against inclusion is the minority view.
If you haven’t yet made clear you aim to continue including workers and advanced degree students from all backgrounds and identities — in your workplace culture, through unbiased hiring methods that focus on skills, and in the material benefits and policies you offer — you didn’t miss the deadline.
You can do it today. And if you want to continue attracting top talent, that’s exactly what you should do.
Onward,
Stella Ashaolu
CEO and Founder, WeSolv
➡️ AI-fueled hiring bias, confirmed. A new study found what many have suspected: That open-source AI tools favor male candidates, especially for higher-paying jobs, while equally qualified women are pushed toward lower-wage roles. The culprit? Gender bias baked into AI training data as well as human feedback. (More.)
➡️ Good news in April, sort of? Despite tariff and trade war talk, the U.S. added about 25% more jobs last month than had been projected. But a portion of that was specific to transportation and warehousing employers, driven by pre-tariff spending on foreign goods. And Americans’ increase in hourly earnings were about 43% lower than forecasted. (More.)
➡️ Yes, MBA grads are anxious. They aren’t the only ones. Just 6% of U.S. workers say with confidence they can afford basic living expenses and save for the future, per a 2025 report. And even MBA grads from top programs are struggling to land jobs. In light of that, Study International shared some in-demand roles and industries for MBAs. (More.)
➡️ A “wealth spiral.” That’s what experts are saying could happen in Boston as Havard battles with President Trump over its DEI programs, with a risk for city-wide economic impact that extends beyond Harvard Yard. (More.)
➡️ Forgotten amid DEI cuts? Neurodiverse talent. Legal protections for neurodivergent workers may exist under ADA, but DEI programs are critical to “creating the kind of supportive environment that enables employees to actually access their workplace rights,” ADDitutde Magazine reports. (More.)
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📕 Ready to modernize your hiring approach? Check out our Ultimate Skills-First Hiring Guide, with tips for allocating budget and clear steps to launching a strategy.
📕 Yes, it’s a tough market. Yes, your MBA students could still — and hopefully will! — weigh competing offers. Show them how it’s done.
📕 Did you know you can try WeSolv Case Challenges for free? Try it out and start hiring based on performance data, not resumé keywords.
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